Board Members
Membership normally lasts for three years after which time a new Board is selected, and at which point existing members are free to put themselves forward for selection again. The Board is selected according to the recommendations of the Nolan Committee.
Iain Campbell (Cathraiche)
Iain Campbell is from South Uist. He is the Senior Project Manager of Soillse, a seven year £5.29 million research project focusing on public policy toward the maintenance and revitalisation of Gaelic language and culture and involving the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute and the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. He is an experienced senior manager and researcher with a Masters Degrees in Regional Economics, Business Administration and Rural Development and a BSc with Distinction in Rural Resources. He has a deep knowledge of Gaelic language revitalisation and processes.
Elizabeth McAtear
Elizabeth (Betty) McAtear was brought up on the Isle of Barra. She retired from the Board of Lews Castle College in April 2010 after serving eight years on the Board, the last two as Chairman. She also represented the College as a governor on the Board of the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute. Previously, she served on the NHS Western Isles Board for 10 years, part of that time as Chair. She brings valuable knowledge of strategic planning and experience of development of governance to the Bòrd.
Declaration of Interest
Christina Allon
Christina Allon is a native Gaelic speaker originally from Lewis. She is a graduate of Edinburgh, Napier and the Robert Gordon Universities and is a Fellow of the RSA. Most of her 30 years in public service were spent as a Careers Adviser in the Highlands and as Chief Executive of career guidance organisations in the Grampian Region. She was appointed in 2001 to set up and run a new national agency merging together the functions and staff of over 60 localised careers services, education business partnerships, adult guidance networks and lifelong learning partnerships. Careers Scotland was subsequently recognised by the OECD as an international leader in the guidance field. Ms Allon recently retired from her strategic leadership role as Director of Careers Scotland.
Kenneth MacKinnon
Kenneth MacKinnon has undertaken since the early 1970s twelve major research studies into Scotland’s Gaelic community, locally and nationally (as well as a study of Gaelic speakers in Nova Scotia.) He has supervised numerous research studies into other minority speech-communities, and has undertaken a great deal of demographic analysis of Gaelic speakers over recent censuses. He currently holds professorial appointments at the Universities of Aberdeen and Hertfordshire, and is an associate lecturer of the Open University in Social Sciences, Education and Language Studies. He has been a member of the Ministerial Advisory Group on Gaelic and a member and consultant to Bòrd na Gàidhlig. He has also previously provided consultancy to Comunn na Gàidhlig, and more recently to the Western Isles Language Plan Project.
Murdo MacLennan
Murdo MacLennan served as Chairman of the Western Isles Education Business Partnership from 1988-1998. He was Chairman and a Board member of Taighean Innse Gall, the housing agency for the Western Isles, from 1990-1998.
His public appointments have included serving as Vice-Chairman and a non-executive director on the Western Isles Health Board from 1993-1998 and as Chief Executive from 1998-2003. For 3 years he was a member of the Scottish Land Fund from 2000, and a Governor of Highland Theological College. From 2006-2012 he was a Commissioner with the Crofters Commission by Ministerial appointment, and he was elected as the Commissioner for the Western Isles with the Crofting Commission in April 2012. He is also Director of Lewis Crofters Ltd, Director of Bethesda Care Home and Hospice, Member of Highland and Islands Valuation Appeals Committee (Western Isles) and a Member of the Scottish Crofting Foundation.
Shona MacLennan
Shona MacLennan is originally from Spean Bridge and now lives in Kintail. She learnt Gaelic as an adult, beginning at university in Edinburgh. She has her own consultancy business, working with a range of private, public and community organisations. Shona has recently served on the Board of MG ALBA, and was previously a non-executive director of Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd, Grampian TV and UHI Ltd. She has been involved in a range of Gaelic initiatives and developments, including working for Comunn na Gàidhlig. Shona brings extensive governance and strategic planning experience to the Bòrd as well as a sound knowledge of community development.
Coll MacDonald
Coll MacDonald is a native Gaelic speaker who was brought up on the Isle of Skye and educated through Gaelic medium before studying accountancy at Aberdeen University. Coll is a qualified Chartered Accountant and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants for Scotland. He is currently employed by a firm in Inverness. He has been actively involved in the Gaelic community and has taught fiddle at Fèisean throughout Scotland. Coll brings to the Bòrd an enthusiasm for the Gaelic language and its development, a good knowledge of educational issues, and a range of financial skills and experience.
John Macleod
John Macleod is from the Isle of Lewis and has been resident in Edinburgh since 1970. After retiring from a police career in December 2000, he became more actively involved in Gaelic language, educational and cultural developments locally and nationally, becoming Convener of Comann nam Pàrant (Nàiseanta), a Board member of Comunn na Gàidhlig, and, in recent years, President of An Comunn Gàidhealach. He has developed effective translation/interpretation skills and has been an active community contributor to numerous Gaelic developments in Edinburgh. He brings leadership, strategic and effective decision-making skills to the Bòrd along with a sound knowledge of community needs.
June Graham
June Graham is originally from Glasgow and has family connections with Skye. She has a PhD in Meteorology and has worked on climate change projects for the Canadian government as well as the University of Bern in Switzerland. Since 2009, she has been living in Lewis with her husband and three children. Her children are in Gaelic Medium Education and she has helped to start up a Gaelic parent and toddler group in Stornoway. June brings to the Bòrd knowledge of language situations internationally, enthusiasm for Gaelic in the field of education, and creative ideas for the future activities of the Bòrd.
Kenneth Nicolson
Kenneth Nicolson is a fluent Gaelic speaker from Ranish in Lochs on the Isle of Lewis. After graduating from UHI (Lewis Campus) in Gaelic Language and Culture he went on to complete his PGDE in primary education at Strathclyde University and took up his current teaching post on the Isle of Tiree in 2009. From a young age, Kenneth has been involved in local music festivals, local Mods and the Royal National Mod. He is a renowned Gaelic singer and has performed not only throughout Scotland but in other countries. Kenneth brings to the Bòrd a passionate commitment to Gaelic and Gaelic education and a willingness to put his skills to practical use.
