Our People
St John’s Youth Services is committed to providing the best possible support to young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness in South Australia. From the board room to the front lines of service delivery, each SJYS team member shares a belief in the capacities of young people and a commitment to ensuring every young person in South Australia can make a place to call home.
Our Board
St John’s Youth Services is governed by a volunteer Board of up to nine directors, who each share their time and talents to improve young lives in South Australia. Our directors have professional experience across the government, corporate and community sectors, and extensive expertise in a wide range of areas including law, finance, human resources, governance, project management, partnership development, public relations, marketing and pastoral care.
Christine Bell
Chair
Phoebe Azer
Deputy Chair
Justin Piteo
Treasurer
Peter Balabanski
Kristy Cormack
Michael Gilbert
Tim Prowse
Geoff Slack
Executive and senior management
Our CEO, Nicole Chaplin, has decades of experience supporting young people in South Australia, and has been part of the SJYS leadership team for more than ten years. As well as leading SJYS, Nicole is Deputy Chair of the SACOSS Board and a member of the Policy Council, and the SACOSS representative on the Stop Racism Taskforce. Nicole is also a board member for Nunga Mi: Minar, and Chair of the Anglicare Australia Reconciliation Network.
Nicole is supported by a highly qualified and experienced senior management team, who share both Nicole’s commitment to young people, and her belief in young people’s capacity to create extraordinary futures.
Nicole Chaplin
CEO
Anne Linke
Manager: Communications & Advocacy
Alex Houthyusen
Aboriginal Cultural Broker
Ryan Bullivant
Manager: Youth110
Kylie Van Alphen
Manager: Foyer Port Adelaide
Louisa Au
Team Leader
Sylwia Grabowska
Team Leader
Frontline Team
Young people at SJYS are supported by a dedicated team of frontline workers who inspire and empower young power to overcome barriers and achieve amazing outcomes. This team is the heart and soul of St John’s Youth Services, and the reason so many young people in South Australia are able to move out of homelessness and into happy and fulfilling futures.
St John’s Youth Services has an enviable reputation in the sector as an employer of choice for highly qualified, caring professionals who value a supportive workplace culture that values innovation and puts young people in the centre of professional practice. This is reflected in outstanding employee retention, and the average employee length of service is around six and a half years.