Past Conferences - 2021

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President, Council of Scottish Clans and Associations. 

John Bellassai is Vice  President of The National Capital Tartan Day Committee, Inc. (NCTDC) and  Secretary of The Living Legacy of Scotland, Inc. - a founding member of  the Scottish Coalition, USA.

A longtime member of the American Clan Gregor Society, John is a graduate of Georgetown University's College of Arts & Sciences and the Georgetown University Law Center. His maternal grandfather, John King, after whom he is named, emigrated from Killearn, on Loch Lomondside, to America in 1910. John lives and works in Washington, DC where he practices law.

Andrew Morrison, 3rd Viscount Dunrossil was born in London in 1953. Educated at Eton and Oxford, he came to the US in 1981. He has made San Antonio, Texas his home for the last 30 years being engaged in the banking and financial services industry. Professionally, he served as the former Chairman of the American Financial Services Association.

Very active in his clan society, Andrew is cousin to the Chief of the Morrisons and a member of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC).  He was recently described by "The Times of London" as an expert on the subject of clans and clan chiefs.

Keith MacGregor is the North American Representative for the Clan Gregor Society of Scotland, having served on the Society’s Council for twenty six years.  He is co-administrator of the MacGregor Surname Project/FTDNA and tour director/guide for the clan’s International Gathering 2022 in Scotland. 

He has organized and led eight years of professional archaeological outings in Glenorchy and Glenstray, the original MacGregor homelands, which uncovered a trove of information about the early clan’s medieval settlements and were published for the Society during “The Year of Archaeology – Scotland 2017”. He is currently involved in the preservation of the carved stone monuments of the MacGregor chiefs, discovered at Dalmally church in Argyll.

Keith’s professional career in media spans decades as Executive Director for the Fox Broadcasting Networks, New York

Susan R. Miller is the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society Director of Programs; editor of the NYG&B’s New York Researcher magazine; a managing editor of the New York Family History Research Guide and Gazetteer. 

She has researched her New York and New England families for more than twenty five years. Susan organizes the New York State Family History Conferences and has presented genealogical lectures at national and regional conclaves. Beyond genealogy, Sue is a life-long sailor (racing and cruising) and Past Commodore of the Manhasset Bay and Frostbite Yacht Clubs. 

Dr Robin Spencer is a Family Tree administrator for two Surname Projects and author of SNP Tracker and other genetic genealogy tools.  Following degrees in physics and biochemistry (B.A. Williams, Ph.D. MIT), Rob was a Senior Research Fellow with Pfizer for twenty nine years, then a software developer at Imaginatik for eight years.  Now retired, he's found that genetic genealogy perfectly suits his skills and interests. 

SNP Tracker, his new British-Irish mapping tool combines Y DNA haplogroup analysis with comprehensive 19th century census data, bringing more detail and resolution to those with Scottish, Irish, English, or Welsh paternal ancestry. 

Explore his website at  http://scaledinnovation.com/gg/gg.html

Dr Maurice Gleeson is a genetic genealogist in Ireland, and runs Surname DNA Projects for the following: Spearin, Farrell, Gleason, Boylan, O'Malley, and Ryan. As a founding member of Genetic Genealogy Ireland, Maurice organizes the Genetic Genealogy Ireland Conference and serves as Education Ambassador for ISOGG. He maintains his blog and a YouTube Channel, both called: DNA and Family Tree Research. 

See the following links:

• Genetic Genealogy, Irish family history, adoptee research, surname project blogs for Commemorating the Missing/Gleeson Clan Gathering 2016/iCARA/DNA and Family Tree Research/Gleeson, O'Carroll, Hart, Union family tree/Farrell DNA Project/Spearin Surname Project/Genetic Genealogy Ireland/The Gleason / Gleeson DNA Project/* Ryan DNA Project/O'Malley DNA Project
• 
  

Dr. Bruce Durie is a Scottish genealogist, broadcaster and author. 

In 2016, he was awarded the Fulbright Senior Scottish Studies Scholarship, and spent most of that year researching Scottish migrations to Colonial America, primarily at St Andrews University, Laurinburg, Scotland Co., North Carolina

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Durie has Right of Audience at the Court of the Lord Lyon, Scotland. The majority of his private work concerns Coats of Arms and issue around inheritance and Chiefship. He was a founder of the Register of Qualified Genealogists and the post-nomial QG, and of the scholarly peer-reviewed journal Genealogy.
In 2017, Bruce Durie was elected an Academician of the Académie Internationale de Généalogie and in 2018 was accorded Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (FRSB) and Chartered Biologist (CBiol) in recognition of his long-standing work in the public understanding of genetic genealogy.
He is the author of over 30 published books.

Joni Smith is the Counselor for Scottish Government USA.

With 15 years’ experience in the UK Civil Service, Joni has worked in various roles across the Scottish Government – the majority of which were at the centre of the organization working directly for members of the Scottish Cabinet.

Prior to her work in the civil service Joni was a broadcast journalist.

A native of Arbroath, Scotland Joni holds an MA in Politics and International Relations from the University of

Aberdeen and an MSc in Communications and Public Affairs from Robert Gordon University. 

Charles Bruce studied economic history at the University of St Andrews. He is involved in the conservation of Scottish heritage both at home and overseas. He chairs a charitable trust restoring a Scottish cemetery in India.

Charles is a council member of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, representing his father,Andrew Bruce, Earl of Elgin, 37th Chief of the Name of Bruce. 

He is a patron of CASSOC.

He recently contributed a chapter to a new history of the Declaration of Arbroath, Conquered by No

One.

Graeme Mackenzie is a Scottish historian and genealogist with over thirty years’ experience researching and writing about the Highland clans. 

Graeme is President of the Association of Highland Clans & Societies (AHCS) and operates Highland Roots, a professional genealogical firm.

He studied history at Cambridge University and worked initially as a rock music writer and broadcaster, developing an interest in country and bluegrass music whilst helping organize the prestigious Cambridge Folk Festival.

Sir Malcolm MacGregor was born in London in 1959 and is based in Scotland. He served for 17 years with the Scots Guards and the Gurkhas.

He is 24th Hereditary Chief of Clan Gregor, a Past Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs (SCSC), and a Past President of the Scots Guards Association.

In 2000 he began photographing for his book ‘Wilderness Oman’ made over a two year period concentrating on the eclectic mix of desert, mountain and coastal landscapes. His genre is wilderness landscape photography, searching out aspects of nature that are off the beaten track. He is well travelled throughout Scotland and has held three photography exhibitions related to the Highlands and Islands in London. He has carried out numerous photographic features on historic houses and castles for Scots Heritage Magazine.

In addition to landscape photography, he has worked on a major documentary

project with the HALO Trust, a humanitarian mine-clearance charity. This took him to Africa, SE Asia, the Balkans and Afghanistan. In 2010 he returned to Afghanistan to photograph the Scots Guards in Helmand Province. In addition to Wilderness Oman, he has privately published Light Over Oman and Oman: Eloquence and Eternity.

Other published work includes the Outer Hebrides, and Mull, Iona and Staffa.

He is currently working on a book of landscape photography of Scotland and a

photographic project in Namibia.

As well as being Chief of Clan Gregor, he is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic

Society and the Royal Geographical Society, and an Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photographers. He is married to Fiona and they live in Dumfriesshire.

Camilla G Hellman MBE is the President of the American Scottish Foundation and also the ASF representative to The Scottish Coaliton USA and National Tartan Day New York Committee.  

Camilla also serves as a member of the boards of The Foreign Press Association and Make Music New York.  

Camilla's career has been in the promoting of British and US relations and in 2006 she received the MBE for her work in transatlantic relations. 

Cheryl Gowing is the Secretary for the Association of Scottish Festivals & Games, dedicated to providing its member organizations with a platform to share resources, ideas, and best practices in support of Scottish/Celtic events throughout North America.   Cheryl also serves as President of the Scottish American Society of South Florida, currently planning for their 38th annual Scottish Festival & Highland Games.   She is the Associate Dean for Library Information Systems & Facilities at the University of Miami, where she’s been a member of the faculty since 1987. 

Jane Torrance, BA, MA, has been a member of The Scottish Society of Ottawa for 7 years, and has served for 2 years on the Grand Committee as Communications Director.

Jane is the Principal of a busy consulting firm, specializing in strategic planning, community safety and well-being, team building, and public consultation. She served 3 terms on municipal council in Mississippi Mills, and worked for many years in non-profit community and service organizations. She is skilled in network building and management, social media management, and group facilitation.

Jane has served in leadership positions on a wide variety of boards. She is passionate about her Scottish heritage with deep McKay roots in Lewis, and Morris roots in Largs. Jane lives in Almonte with her husband Michael Kehoe, is mother to four and grandmother to two, and is a piper in the Almonte Legion Pipe Band Branch 240.

Jane can be reached via e-mail at chair@ottscot.ca.

I’m so happy that you are taking time to engage with the SSO and read my bio! In my professional life, I am a Protocol Advisor, Office of Protocol and Intergovernmental Affairs with the City of Ottawa, responsible for providing leadership and coordination of the City of Ottawa's ceremonial, protocol and diplomatic activities in a politically and culturally sensitive manner.

My key responsibilities include a portfolio of events hosted by the Mayor including large-scale community gatherings, high-level ceremonial events, as well as intimate dinners and receptions. I also lead activities and services that benefit, promote, celebrate or enhance the City of Ottawa and its residents.

I have a strong interest in fostering and building communities of trust-based business relationships that support and create high performing teams. As such, one of the highlights of my career, when working in Advancement at Carleton University, was expanding the national and international Alumni Chapters network from 18 to 44 chapters.

My work with the SSO began in the fall of 2012, when I joined the dedicated volunteer committee that presented the very first Hogmanay celebration in Ottawa. To say I was hooked would be an understatement! I served on the Executive Board as Secretary from January 2013 to May 2019, a period of substantial growth for the SSO, and remain an avid builder and advocate. With my Glengarry County roots, I was privileged to be immersed in Scottish culture from a very young age. My MacLeod ancestors arrived in Glengarry in 1793 directly from Glenelg, and the Macdonells on my mother’s side were United Empire Loyalists. MacLeods, Macdonells, McBeans, McIntoshes, MacCrimmons are all in my lineage – my Scottish roots are broad and deep! Increasing the awareness of Scots’ contributions to the fabric of Canadian society, both historically and present-day, in addition to building the SSO community and expanding my knowledge of Scottish culture is a passion and relates directly to family and pride of heritage.

Hold Fast!

Heather can be reached at: vicechair@ottscot.ca

Kimberlee Bradford is the first female President of the St. Andrew's Society of Los Angeles. She is also an FSA Scot, a
Mayflower descendant, and is a graduate of USC and holds certifications from Stanford and Yale in both business and
marketing. 

Kimberlee's professional career spans three decades as a
film agent in the entertainment industry representing some of Hollywood's elite actors, writers and directors.

After retirement, she began her involvement with the Scottish community in Southern California to bring more exposure and visibility to Scotland's talented and creative artists, and to the contributions that Scotland has made to
America.

Rory ‘Gus’ Sinclair has been doing music in one way or another all his life. To begin with, there was a piano in the family home in Deep River and he noodled on the instrument almost daily till

he left home for University.  While in Deep River he took lessons on the Great Highland Bagpipe and the Saxophone. In addition, he played clarinet and ukulele in two folk groups –self taught on both. While at University he took up guitar – learning on his roommate’s instrument.

Rory has composed over 20 original pipe tunes and has produced 4 CD’s of pipe music 

Mara Shea has been playing with violins since her mother decided her child

had a really good sense of pitch and enrolled her in music school in New

Haven, Connecticut. After studying classical violin for 10 years and then

taking a 15-year break, Mara discovered folk and dance music. 

She has been happily playing for dancers since the 1990s—various styles of English,Scottish, contra, ceilidh—and her fiddle has taken her to balls, dance

weekends and concerts throughout the US, Canada, England, Scotland, and

Europe. She has served on the music staff at many dance camps including

Pinewoods, TAC Summer School, Berea Christmas School, Ramblewood,

Scottish Weekend, Stone Mountain, Unicoi, and the John C. Campbell Folk

School, in Brasstown, North Carolina.  In 2018-19 Mara lived for a year in Scotland, where she earned an MLitt in Ethnomusicology from the Elphinstone Institute at the University of

Aberdeen.

 Back home in North Carolina, Mara lives in Raleigh, where she

teaches Celtic fiddle and frequently plays for dances. For more on Mara, and

to listen to some of her music, visit her website: www.MaraShea.com.

Jamie McGeechan is a Scottish singer-songwriter and poet who was born in Falkirk and grew up in Ayr. 

As a musician he has released two albums of original material with his most recent album being nominated for Scottish Album of The Year. He has toured with Joan Armatrading, Damien Rice, Dougie MacLean, Eddi Reader and Capercaillie.

He made a world first recording as the first person to record the songs of Robert Burns inside Burns Cottage in Alloway.

In 2020 Jamie has been working with the American Scottish Foundation to produce online monthly music concerts and the Sounds From Scotland album.

Jamie is an Ambassador for World Peace Tartan, the Robert Burns Birthplace Museum, Tamfest and The American-Scottish Foundation.

www.jamiemcgeechan.com

Dr. Terry E. Miller was born and raised in Dover, Ohio.  Part of his family lineage is to the McDermott family of Scotland.  Dr. Miller earned a B.M. in Organ at the College of Wooster in 1967, an M.M. in Musicology at Indiana University in 1971 and the Ph.D in Musicology at Indiana in 1977.  

From 1975 until retirement in 2005 he was a faculty member in Kent State University’s School of Music where he taught Ethnomusicology and Musicology. 

His primary specialization is in the music of Thailand, Laos, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, but he has done extensive research in American folk hymnody, including the lined hymn/psalm traditions of the United States, the English-speaking Caribbean, and Scotland.  

In 1982 and 1987 Miller did extensive field work and library research in Edinburgh, Scotland, and field work in Edinburgh, Skye, Lewis, and Harris.

Frank Rennie is Professor of Sustainable Rural Development at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Scotland and Head of Research at Lews Castle College UHI. 

Initially a geologist and natural scientist, he tutors on Sustainable Rural Development and also the MSc Digital Pedagogy, as well as supervising research students. His main research interests lie in new approaches to online education and the potential benefits of digital networking for sustainable rural development. He has been an advisor to several government bodies and is a Fellow of six learned societies. 

Frank has been involved in developing and delivering various combinations of distributed learning and Open Educational Resources (particularly networked digital solutions for rural areas) with a wide range of international partners. He has published a diverse range of resources related to rural issues, including over 30 books and e-textbooks.

Kenneth C. Donnolly is a native born Scot from Lanarkshire, Scotland. Now an American citizen, Kenneth came to the USA in 1982 to work for Pan American Airways.

Kenneth is the Chairman of The American-Scottish Foundation and the President of the Robert Burns Society of New York which was founded in 1871. 

Kenneth is Member, International Advisory Board of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Member, International Advisory Board of the University of the Highlands and Islands, Inverness, Scotland.

Peter Wilson is the founder of Great Scot International, The Scottish Weaver and The Scottish Grocer.

Great Scot International Inc was 

Founded and Incorporated in 1997. Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, the company was initially involved with the supply of Scottish food products and unique gift-ware and then evolved into weaving and supplying tartan plaid fabrics and merchandise in worsted wool and non-wool fabrics.

SCOTTISH HERITAGE USA was founded in 1965 by Ward Melville “to recognize and enhance the original bonds of ancestral and national character among the peoples of Scotland and North America; and to disseminate knowledge of their respective cultural heritages; and in furtherance of such purposes to support the preservation of historic sites, the maintenance of centers of artistic and literary endeavor and such other activities as may be appropriate”. 

CHIEF OF CLAN MACLAREN

OF BALQUHIDDER AND STRATHEARN

Donald MacLaren of MacLaren and Achleskine is the twenty-fifth

head of the Clan since Labhran, name forefather of the MacLarens

(MacLabhruinn) eight hundred years ago. The Clan is one of the most

ancient of the Gaelic kindreds and its line of chiefs descends from King

Lorn Mor of the 6 th century. Donald succeeded his father in 1966. 

He became Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs in 2018.

Donald was educated at the Dragon School in Oxford; Trinity College

Glenalmond in Perthshire, where he learned to play the pipes; and

Edinburgh University, where he graduated in Classics and English and

played rugby for the combined Scottish Universities XV.

He joined the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in 1978. After

postings in Berlin, Moscow, Havana, Caracas and Kiev he served in

Tbilisi, Georgia as Her Majesty’s Ambassador. 

He left the FCO in 2008

and is now a political adviser to UK businesses operating in Eastern

Europe; and is a partner in Perfect Pitch, training people to speak

persuasively.

Donald married Maida Jane Aitchison in 1978. Of their five children, two

chose the army for their career (Donald serving as a Commando with

four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan; and Louis, formerly with the Scots

Guards, now in the Parachute Regiment); Florian runs his own company

as a tree surgeon; and Iona and Marina have recently graduated from

respectively Stirling and Glasgow Universities.

The Chief’s home is at the Kirkton, Balquhidder in the heart of the

ancient dùthchas, the patrimony of the Chiefly House of Clan Labhran.

The Rt Hon. the Viscount Thurso

John Thurso, The Rt Hon. the Viscount Thurso, is Chairman of VisitScotland, Scotland’s national tourism organization (appointed in 2016), and has enjoyed a distinguished career in a variety of senior roles in the tourism industry. He sat in the House of Lords from 1995 to 1999, and from 2001 to 2015 he was Member of Parliament for Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross.

Lord Sempill is currently engaged in promoting ancestral tourism. He also hosts his own historical tours in Scotland. 

Over the last 15 years he has been an active member of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs, and is credited for building stronger links between the Council and the international clan community. He conceptualised and directed The Gathering 2009, which was the centrepiece of the Homecoming Scotland 2009 programme. 

 John Cherry became Michigan's Lt. Governor in 2003 when he was elected along with Governor Jennifer Granholm. Together, they served as Michigan's Executive leaders for the constitutionally allotted eight years. Before that Lt. Governor Cherry served the people of Michigan for more than 20 years as a State Representative and as State Senator.
For  six of those years, he served as the Senate Democratic Leader. During  his nearly three decades of state public service, John Cherry developed a  reputation as a fair-minded legislator who forged relationships with other legislators regardless of political party. During his service, John authored and co-sponsored several Michigan laws dealing with  political reform, environmental protection and conservation.

The  Cherry Commission on Higher Education & Economic Growth brought higher education into the larger discussion of creating and retaining  jobs in Michigan. It was also recognized nationally as a road map for  higher education policy, and it won praises from President Obama when he came to Michigan to unveil his National Community College Initiative.  During his tenure as Lt. Governor, John Cherry was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Saginaw Valley State University, an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree from Central Michigan University and a gubernatorial appointment to the Midwestern Higher Education Compact.

Jennifer Coutts Clay is one of the leading experts on aviation and airline travel in the world.

The author of Jetliner Cabins: Evolution & Innovation, Jennifer Coutts Clay has a great deal of experience of working within the aviation industry. 

In 1979, she was appointed Head of Operations and Sales for Western USA, the first woman to be appointed to such a position in the airline. 

Since the 1990s, as Principal of J. Clay Consulting, Jennifer has worked with a broad range of organizations, including short-haul and long-haul airlines, aviation suppliers, legal firms and design specialists.

Born in Scotland and educated in Britain, France and the US (she was a Fulbright Scholar at Cornell University), Jennifer is now an American citizen and resides in New York City.

Professor David Worthington is an historian of Scottish (and wider British and Irish) connections with central Europe (c.1500-c.1700). 

He researches and publishes also on the history of mainland northern Scotland from within a coastal history context. He completed his PhD in the Department of History, University of Aberdeen, in 2000, and, prior to taking up his position at UHI, lectured at universities in Poland and Ireland. 

He arrived at the Centre for History as a lecturer in July 2008, became its head in 2011, and was awarded his professorship in 2020. Currently, he chairs the UHI-HLH sub-group for the 'Inverness Castle Project' the largest heritage development in the Highlands for over a century, and sits on the overall Castle Project delivery group, chaired by Fergus Ewing MSP. This is the aspect of his work that will be the focus of his presentation

Gordon Boag – Marketing and Communications Business Partner, Glasgow Life.

I’ve worked for the charity delivering Culture and Sport on behalf of Glasgow City Council for almost 14 years with a particular focus on Culture. 

I’ve been involved in some of the biggest events the city has hosted, including the Culture Programme for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, and I work across many of the events in Glasgow every year including the brilliant Celtic Connections and the unforgettable World Pipe Band Championships.