LG Professionals SA - Meet our Team

We're a small team doing big things

Taryn Sexton

Chief Executive Officer

After nine years at the helm of LG Professionals SA, it’s fair to say Taryn loves her job—to her, the sector feels like a family, and she loves how dedicated our members are to their communities and each other.

With a background covering membership association management, higher education and marketing, combined with a passion for adult learning and leadership development and a genuine enthusiasm for the sector, Taryn is well equipped for what she does … but she wants to do more! She never switches off from championing the cause, because there are too many amazing, collaborative and innovative initiatives out there that she feels are just not getting the recognition they deserve.

If it’s not whale watching season, on the weekend you’ll probably find her dancing along to live music or catching up on some sleep.

Rhiannon Grebenshikoff

Manager Operations, Events and Partnerships

If you’ve ever called LG Professionals SA, chances are you know exactly who Rhiannon is—her high-energy attitude and positivity is infectious, and she channels all of it into her work. She’s responsible for managing our key events—the Annual State Conference, Management Challenge, Leadership Excellence Awards, Economic Development Conference and Rural Management Challenge—as well as Corporate Partnerships and the membership function of our organisation ... phew!

Rhiannon’s favourite thing about her job is the people. She loves hearing about all the amazing work being accomplished in the sector and is ready to help you promote them through our Awards Program.

Rivalling her professional responsibilities are Rhiannon’s skills in the old arts—fascinated by everything crafty, she’s a deft hand at crocheting and has just taken up pottery classes. Her spare time is dedicated to showering her two dogs with love and affection, and, as an esteemed member of the Cactus and Succulent Society of SA, keeping her vast collection of indoor plants alive.

KATE STAPLES

Manager Professional Development and Networks

Kate oversees all of the professional development and networking opportunities that we offer to the sector—and with 13 years of experience in the sector and a genuine passion for what she does, this pillar of your Association is in excellent hands.

Before joining our team, Kate worked in Information Management and Human Resources roles within local government, so she brings vital background and insights to her work, allowing us to support the entire sector more broadly. She feels lucky to be working in a position that allows her to support people, teams and organisations to reach their goals and support their communities.

At heart, Kate is a total nerd. In her spare time, she loves to explore, learn and read. She often dives headfirst into new hobbies—anything from knitting classes to circus school. Her eclectic array of passions include art, music, video games, beach volleyball, D&D (yes, that stands for Dungeons and Dragons), and gin.

SAndra Denholm

Finance Officer

For 20 years, Sandra has worked in bookkeeping and finance roles, with the first 10 of those spent at the Salvation Army before becoming a stay-at-home mum to dote on her two beautiful children.

Sandra has been with LG Professionals SA for two years now and her favourite part of her job is the people she works with and the sense of community within the sector.

She loves sharing her life with her husband and children, but when she does find time to herself, Sandra loves to create beautiful mosaic art and practice the art of upcycling to reuse materials and reduce her carbon footprint. She’s also got some serious talents in the kitchen and makes a mean Malteser fudge!

Tahlia Willey

Network and Program Officer

With seven Networks, two major conferences and seemingly endless professional development programs to support, Tahlia is here to provide you with a range of opportunities to connect, learn and grow in your career.

Tahlia worked in the sector for five years prior to her role at LG Professionals SA, so she brings both experience and perspective to her work, which is great for us and even better for our members. With a passion for personal and professional development, and a love for helping people thrive, Tahlia is there to support you at any stage of your career journey—whether it be at an upcoming network forum, one of our short programs or our leadership programs.

Tahlia is a certified Health Coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, so it’s no surprise that she has a love of health and wellness. She’s on a journey to be the healthiest version of herself, and in her spare time she’s usually whipping up some Insta-worthy healthy dishes in the kitchen, perusing the self-development section of her local Library, brunching with friends or spending time with Bonnie, her Golden Retriever (#dogmum).

Taylor Kruger

Events and Administration Officer

As our Events and Administration Officer, Taylor assists the team in any way she can to ensure our events and programs run smoothly, in addition to answering the phones, responding to emails, managing our database and providing any other support we need … basically she’s a saint and we don’t know what we ever did without her.

Prior to commencing her role with us, Taylor spent many years working in hospitality (we can confirm her latte art is on point) and administration roles. She’s a full-time student studying a Bachelor of Tourism and Event Management, so it’s no surprise that one of her favourite things about our sector is the commitment to personal and professional development.

For the first time in 10 years, Taylor is able to enjoy not working weekends, which is giving her more time to explore local markets and attend events and festivals. She’s also started a wine club with some friends to learn more about wine, particularly SA wines. More recently this has evolved into their own spin-off series of the My Kitchen Rules Instant Restaurants, cooking for each other and matching dishes with the perfect wines.

Elyse Hearne

Marketing and Communications Coordinator

Elyse is the newest member of our team, and although it's only been a couple of months, it feels like she's been here forever. With a wealth of knowledge and experience in not for profit marketing, she is responsible for coordinating, scheduling and delivering all of our marketing and communications to you - she's a huge support to the team, and we're so thankful she is here!

Having worked for eight years in a membership organisation prior to joining the LG Professionals SA team, Elyse not only brings experience in membership but also training, professional development, event management and stakeholder engagement.

Elyse is looking forward to learning more about the wonderful local government sector and putting faces to names - so please make sure you come and introduce yourself if you see her out and about!

She loves to travel, and has been to America eight times - she loves it there! She is hoping to continue travelling the globe, and perhaps exploring somewhere new on her next trip. Elyse is a movie/tv buff, and it doesn't take much convincing to get her to the cinema or to binge the latest series on Netflix. If not travelling or checking out the latest films, you'll find her spending time with family, friends and her two cats Merlin and Bela.

Mailing Address: 5 Hauteville Tce EASTWOOD SA 5063 Phone: 8291-7990; Fax: 8451-1568 E-mail: admin@lgprofessionalssa.org.au