Kayla was 31 years old when she was appointed the Chairperson of Consumers of Mental Health Western Australia, a multimillion-dollar not-for-profit organisation in Perth, Western Australia – the youngest in the organisation’s history (and possibly, in Australia). Kayla is a multi-disciplinary corporate governance specialist with 9+ years of rich, cumulative portfolio experience across various facets of strategy, policy, procedure, and risk management, in addition to over a decade in legal consulting services and insurance litigation. With a deep intellectual fascination for governance practice, Kayla's governance experience spans both sides of the boardroom door – both in Chairperson and Senior Vice President capacities from the non-executive director side, as well as the company secretariat and board relations/operations side. Further, her governance experience is triangulated across Western Australian government-trading enterprise, and strategic and operational boards in Australia's nonprofit sector.

Kayla’s education is unconventionally limited having only attained her Bachelor of Commerce (Management) from Curtin University at 32 years old. In 2023, Kayla also completed the Business and Law High Achievers Program with Curtin University, obtained her International Board Director Competency Designation (IBDC.D) from M.A. Pfister Strategy Group in New York and became a Certified International Negotiator (CIN) with the Chartered Institute of Professional Certifications. Kayla was awarded a full scholarship to the Emerging Leaders in Governance Program (ELGP) in 2022 and holds governance qualifications from the Governance Institute of Australia (GIA) and the Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD). Kayla was also a Finalist in the 3YS Owls Governance Top 100 in Australia for the past 4 years in a row (2019-2023).

In her personal life (that irrevocably impacted her career trajectory), Kayla has experienced significant challenges that concreted her resilience as a fierce advocate for systemic advocacy and reform. Also an accomplished martial artist, who graded for her black belt in Japanese ju jitsu with a broken arm, Kayla accredits much of her mental and spiritual recovery to her continuing martial arts journey, as well as leaning on the discipline in her professional life. Known for her ‘zest’ and intensity, Kayla is reputationally a high performer and an emerging leader to watch.