Personnel and Bios:

Officers:

President: John Alick Macpherson

Vice-President: Micheal Linkletter

Vice-President: Angus MacLeod

Treasurer: Bob Leonard

Executive Director: Bob Leonard

Advisors:

Donald John Morrison - Harris, Scotland (From Harris)

Catriona Parsons - Antigonish, Nova Scotia. (From Lewis)

John Alick Macpherson - Sydney, Nova Scotia (From Harris & North Uist)

Margie Beaton - Mabou, Nova Scotia (From Eriskay)

Regional Directors:

Cape Breton: Angus MacLeod

Mainland N.S. (Pictou/New Glasgow/Antigonish area): Michael Linkletter

Mainland N.S. (Halifax/Dartmouth area): Beth Anne MacEachen

New Brunswick: Dave Macfarlane

Prince Edward Island: Wanda MacGregor

British Columbia: Andrew McFayden

Northeast United States: Kyte MacKillop

Southeast United States: Scott Morrison

Western United States: Jeanne Pendergast

United Kingdom and Europe: Davine Sutherland

Biographies (Alphabetical Listing)

Margie Beaton is a native Gaelic speaker from the Island of Eriskay, Scotland. She currently lives in Mabou, Cape Breton where she is a Gaelic Teacher and Vice Principal at Dalbrae Academy in Mabou. She also teaches for the Atlantic Gaelic Academy. Margie graduated from Glasgow University in Scotland with a Master of Arts degree in Gaelic and Geography. She then attended Jordanhill College of Education where she trained as a teacher of Gaelic and geography. Margie has taught Gaelic for over thirty years, and has been involved in Gaelic and Gaelic Studies Curriculum development for the Province of Nova Scotia. She has also taught Gaelic at night classes and immersions throughout Nova Scotia, and has been involved with the Mabou Gaelic Society, the NS Gaelic Council, and Gaelic choirs. In addition, she has organized Gaelic exchange visits with schools in Scotland, and several annual conferences on Gaelic for Nova Scotia teachers.

Bob Leonard is a native of Cape Breton and lives in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Bob has a CMA accounting designation through McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario. He has completed the Atlantic Gaelic Academy program, and a number of other Gaelic courses. He has also attended numerous Gaelic Immersions and Workshops including those at St. F.X. University in Antigonish, and Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Scotland. Bob has conducted Gaelic language classes in Fredericton, N.B. for a number of years.

Micheal Linkletter is originally from Prince Edward Island and now lives in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. He is the Chair of the Department of Celtic Studies at St. F. X. University in Antigonish. Michael has a BA in Celtic Studies and a BA in History from St. F.X., and an MA and PhD in Celtic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. He also studied Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Scotland, and piping at the Gaelic College in Cape Breton. In addition to teaching Gaelic courses at St. F.X. University, he has taught Gaelic for the Atlantic Gaelic Academy for a number of years, and has also taught Gaelic at Harvard University.

Beth Anne MacEachen lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She has a BA in History/English/Celtic Studies from Cape Breton University in Sydney; a BEd from Memorial University in St. John’s, N.L.; and a Certificate of Higher Gaelic from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Scotland. Her program at SMO included a one-year immersion program with work placement in a grade school in Scotland, and all her course work was conducted through the medium of Gaelic. Beth Anne currently teaches Gaelic at Citadel High School in Halifax, and the Atlantic Gaelic Academy. She has also taught Gaelic at various workshops and immersions in Nova Scotia.

Dave Macfarlane lives in Lower Queensbury, New Brunswick. He is a graduate of Collège du Vieux Montréal with a Diploma in Civil Engineering Technology with subsequent studies at the University of Iowa. He has been responsible for the development and delivery of adult training programs for over twenty years. Dave has been pursuing Gaelic studies since 2001 by attending various Gaelic classes and workshops. He is active in the New Brunswick Scottish cultural community as a Vice-president of the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew, and as past-President of the New Brunswick Highland Games and Scottish Festival.

Wanda MacGregor is from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. She has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of P.E.I. and a Diploma in Chemical Technology from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Wanda has completed the two-year distance-learning program “An Cùrsa Inntrigidh” from Sabhal Mòr Ostaig in Scotland, and is currently enrolled in the Advanced Plus level of the Atlantic Gaelic Academy program. In addition she has attended many Gaelic immersions and workshops in Cape Breton and St. F.X. University in Antigonish. Wanda is one of the founders of the P.E.I Gaelic Society. She has conducted Gaelic language classes for both children and adults in Charlottetown.

Kyte MacKillop lives in Weymouth, Mass. He has a BA in English from Boston University in Boston; a Masters in Counsellor Education from Northeastern University in Boston; and a Certificate in Russian Language from Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. Kyte studied Gaelic with the Atlantic Gaelic Academy, and attended numerous immersion courses in Cape Breton and St.F.X. University in Antigonish, N.S. Kyte has been involved in many Gaelic singing groups and has conducted many Gaelic language classes and workshops in the Boston area.

Angus MacLeod is from Goose Cove, Cape Breton. Born into a Gaelic speaking home, Angus learned his Gaelic in that environment and from local elders. This was complemented by Gaelic language studies at Cape Breton University in Sydney, C.B. and many immersions and workshops. Angus is a Gaelic teacher with the Atlantic Gaelic Academy and also teaches at other workshops and immersions. He is also an accomplished Gaelic singer and conducts Gaelic song workshops in Nova Scotia.

John Alick Macpherson is a native Gaelic speaker from Harris and North Uist, Scotland, and he currently lives near Sydney, Nova Scotia. John Alick graduated from Edinburgh University with a Master of Arts degree, and Jordanhill College of Education, where he trained as a teacher of Gaelic and history. He taught Gaelic for many years in the Scottish school system, and also at various immersions and adult Gaelic classes. John Alick also worked for the Gaelic Department of the BBC as a producer, and later was the Deputy Director of the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee. He has been involved in many Gaelic activities including being on the board of the Gaelic Books Council and Acair Publishing. He was also the Chairman of the Scottish Government task force whose findings led to the Gaelic Language Act, which is now being implemented in Scotland. Other Gaelic activities include writing columns for the Gaelic newspaper An Gaidheal Ùr and the Gaelic magazine An Gath, preparation of Gaelic language plans, and the translation into Gaelic of complex documents for several Scottish organizations.

Andrew McFayden lives in Prince George, British Columbia. He has a BEd from the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, and an MA from Gonzaga University, Spokane, Washington. His Master’s thesis was on the revival of endangered languages with Gaelic in Cape Breton as the subject. Andrew is a teacher in the Prince George school system and as part of the curriculum offers a Gaelic language course to secondary school students. He is also a Gaelic singer and songwriter and has taught Gaelic songs to various community choirs. Andrew has also taught adult Gaelic language classes in the Prince George area.

Donald John Morrison is a native Gaelic speaker who was born, raised, and still lives in the Isle of Harris, Scotland. After graduating from Edinburgh University in Scotland, he trained to be a teacher, and then spent over thirty years teaching Gaelic and other subjects in the Harris school system. He then trained as an Auxiliary Minister in the Church of Scotland, and currently preaches regularly in Gaelic at his local church at Tarbert, Harris, and wherever his services are required. Over the years Donald John has been an advocate of and involved in many aspects of the Gaelic language and culture. He is currently involved in the translation into Gaelic of a children’s story, which will be published shortly.

Scott Morrison lives in Elkridge, Maryland. He holds a B.S. in Music from Frostburg State University, and has completed one year of Graduate studies at the University of Maryland. Scott is a fluent Gaelic speaker, and works part time as an instructor for the AGA, and as an online Gaelic interpreter for Language Line Services. He studied Gaelic with the AGA and private tutorials. Scott also writes Gaelic poetry, and is an accomplished Gaelic singer. He is a music instructor, operates a music school, and belongs to a number of bands.

Catriona Parsons is a native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Lewis, Scotland, and she now lives in Bayfield, Antigonish County, Nova Scotia, and for most of the summer months in New Campbellton, Cape Breton. Catriona has an MA and a graduate Diploma in Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh. She was a professor in the Celtic Studies Department at St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, N.S. for many years. In addition, she regularly teaches the language at immersions and workshops throughout North America. Catriona is an accomplished Gaelic singer, and has produced a Gaelic course for students learning the language. In addition, her Gaelic poetry and prose have been featured in the Scottish Gaelic publications GAIRM and GATH. She is also the Past President of the Gaelic Council of Nova Scotia

Jeanne Pendergast is a resident of California. After attending university, she worked for many years in the field of music. She has completed the Advanced Plus/Fluent level of the AGA Gaelic language program, and in addition has studied under a number of Gaelic teachers and attended many immersions and Gaelic workshops over the years. She recently received a “gold card” for Gaelic language competence at the 2011 Scottish Mòd in Lewis. Jeanne is presently the Treasurer of the American Scottish Gaelic Society and an editor for their newsletter. She currently teaches music and plays various instruments with a number of groups. Jeanne also teaches Gaelic language classes for the AGA.

Davine Sutherland is from Easter Ross in the Highlands of Scotland. She heard Gaelic spoken by her grandparents’ generation as a child, has had a lifelong love of Gaelic song, and has studied Gaelic systematically as an adult, through Sabhal Mòr Ostaig, the Ionad na Gàidhlig agus a Cultar anns a’ Ghearmailt, and the Atlantic Gaelic Academy. She has an MA from Aberdeen University and is an English as a Second Language specialist – teacher, teacher-trainer, and examiner. She also teaches Gaelic for the AGA. Davine is active in promoting the regeneration of Gaelic, writing a monthly Gaelic column for her local community magazine, and regularly engaging in debate in and about Gaelic on and offline.