About us
OUR MISSION
Scots in New England, Inc. is a community of Scottish organizations and interest groups, collaborating to promote and support the work of its members and all things Scottish.
OUR PEOPLE – LEADERSHIP
Scots in New England, Inc. is a community of Scottish organizations and interest groups, collaborating to promote and support the work of its members and all things Scottish. For any questions, comments, or suggestions contact us
Bob Creighton MBE
Director/ President/ Founding Member
Bob is President of the international collaboration, University Innovations Global. Glasgow-born, he is proud of his Scottish roots and is active in many roles across the US. A past President of NHSCOT, he was Honorary Chieftain of the New Hampshire Highland Games and Festival in 2022 and currently chairs NHSCOT’S Council of Advisors.
He has been the voice of New York’s annual Tartan Day Parade since 2016. Bob was the 2020 recipient of America’s National Tartan Day Award and is the first President of Scots in New England.
Bob was awarded an MBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in her 2021 Birthday Honours for his services to UK/US relations.
Larry Bethune
Director/Vice President/Editor-in-Chief/Founding Member
Larry was a professor and vice-president of Berklee College of Music for 44 years. He is co-founder and President of the Association for Scottish Roots Music and Atlantic Seaway band.
He has researched and traced Scottish traditional music from 18th century Scotland to colonial North Carolina.
Larry was the recipient National Trust for Scotland USA 2012 Great Scot Award.
He is also a professional musician, composer, and film scorer in several genres.
Donald LaLiberte CPA
Director and Treasurer
Don is a Certified Public Accountant in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and serves as Treasurer for several non-profit and Masonic organizations.
He is proud that his son is a graduate of the University of St. Andrews and his daughter is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh.
Don is a member of The Kilwinning (Scottish) Club of Boston.
Terri Wiltse
Director/ Secretary/ Founding Member
Terri Wiltse (WILT-SEE), is the Executive Director of NHSCOT. She has spent her career serving arts and cultural non-profit organizations. Delivering interesting cultural programming and producing big events are her passion.
Six years ago, she accepted the executive director position at NHSCOT. She’s been happily immersed in tartan, cabers, whisky, and all things Scottish since then. Terri lives in Pembroke with her husband and 2 cairn terriers. She used to drive a Highlander, but recently downsized to a RAV!
Urszula Wojciechowska MBE
Director / Founding Member
Urszula is an experienced executive with international professional activity in leadership and management, event and strategic planning, marketing, business development and project management.
Her interest in Scotland started with her grandfather who was stationed in Scotland during the WWI and continued with her father who attended the University of Edinburgh during WWII and fell in love with all things Scottish. Her daughter has continued the family tradition, by recently graduating from the University of St Andrews.
Urszula is the Co-Founder and President of several leading international associations in New England. She currently serves as Executive Director of the British American Business Council of NE and President of Women in World Trade, NE.
She was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (M.B.E.) for her services to the British, American and International business communities in North America and the United Kingdom.
Kirstin Gamble Bridier
Director
Kirstin Gamble Bridier is executive director of The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, the American friends group of Scotland’s largest conservation charity.
She has worked in education and fundraising at arts and culture institutions across New England, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the Nantucket Historical Association.
Kirstin is a graduate of Smith College and holds an M.Sc. in historic preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.
Danish Bilal
Webmaster
Danish is a professional Web developer and designer. He has worked with many technology startups and companies around the world.
He has a bachelor’s degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering followed by a master’s degree in Data Science.
Danish founded a Cloud Computing company to improve the experience of retail web application hosting and services.
Editorial Board
For any questions, comments, or suggestions email contact us
Larry Bethune
Editor-in-Chief
Larry was a professor and vice-president of Berklee College of Music for 44 years. He is co-founder and President of the Association for Scottish Roots Music and Atlantic Seaway band. He has researched and traced Scottish traditional music from 18th century Scotland to colonial North Carolina. He is also a professional musician, composer, and film scorer in several genres.
[seeking]
Curator
Scots in New England is seeking a curator for our Eat & Drink collection.
If you are interested, please contact the Editor-in-Chief.
Gary Maclean
Author
Gary Maclean is a multi-award winning chef who is a favorite presenter at the NH Highland Games. He is a senior lecturer at the City of Glasgow College and a MasterChef: Professionals champion in 2016. He is Scotland’s first National Chef and the author of Kitchen Essentials: The Joy of Home Cooking. He lives in Glasgow with his beautiful family.
Terri Wiltse
Curator
Terri Wiltse (WILT-SEE), is the Executive Director of NHSCOT. She has spent her career serving arts and cultural non-profit organizations. Delivering interesting cultural programming and producing big events are her passion. Six years ago, she accepted the executive director position at NHSCOT. She’s been happily immersed in tartan, cabers, whisky, and all things Scottish since then. Terri lives in Pembroke with her husband and 2 cairn terriers. She used to drive a Highlander, but recently downsized to a RAV!
Hilary Creighton
Curator
Marrying her love for great design and her love for Scotland, Hilary established Scottish Creations to introduce the very best Scottish designers to the US and Canada. Tapping into Scotland’s wealth of creative talent, today she is one of the leading advocates for fine Scottish design across North America.
Iain MacHarg
Curator
Iain MacHarg is the director of the Vermont Institute of Celtic Arts, and a music professor at Norwich University. He holds the Senior Piping Certificate and the Teaching Certificate from the Institute of Piping, Scotland. He has been a familiar face at the highland games since very early in his life and his father, Michael MacHarg, is one of the premier bagpipe builders in the world. In addition to competing as a professional grade solo piper, he has founded four Highland Pipe Bands in Vermont (Catamount Grade 4 & 5, Norwich University, the Green Mountain Highlanders) and has played with several folk groups. Iain’s solo albums and books: Rooted in Tradition, Ceol Na Beinne, Celtic Christmas, and Feadan Mor, a collection of original tunes for the bagpipe are sold worldwide.
Audra Congress
Curator
Audra earned a BA in Writing, Literature, and Publishing at Emerson College, Boston, and an MA in Entertainment Industry Management at Carnegie Mellon University.
A visit to Edinburgh ignited a lifelong love for Scotland. The allure of the country, its rich history, diverse landscapes, and a sense of hospitality unparalleled in Audra’s experiences made Scotland a second home in her heart. Audra’s decided to pursue an MSc in Marketing and Business Analysis at the University of Edinburgh Business School. During her time in Scotland, Audra embraced the community wholeheartedly.
Upon her return to New England, Audra joined Scots in New England as a curator for the universities and colleges section, driven by a desire to maintain her connection to Scotland. With a focus on building awareness of Scottish university organizations and alumni groups in New England, Audra aims to showcase the historic depth and innovative spirit of Scottish education. She brings her diverse skill set in writing, digital technology, and business analysis to her curatorial work, seeking to bridge the sense of history, innovation, and hospitality she found in Scotland with the New England community.
Alice J. Sloan
Curator
Alice’s family originally hails from Ayrshire, Scotland. She is CEO of Sloan Growth Strategies and an Adjunct Professor at Endicott College. Alice has been championing international trade and business development in New England for over 20 years and is highly recognized across the region and beyond.
Pat Tillotson
Curator
Pat has gone through her teaching exams with the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society and currently teaches the Brunswick, Maine class, having taught for 21 years. She also organizes a demonstration group that performs at various locations in Maine. Having run a Bookstore for dancers in the past, she has accumulated a large collection of dances and music for them. Pat currently is the Past President of the St Andrews Society of Maine.
Jason Bond
Curator
Jason studied with native speakers in Nova Scotia and Scotland while completing 2 degrees: a BA with First Class Honors in Celtic Studies and a Bachelor of Education in Gaelic, Art, and History. He has been teaching Gaelic professionally since 2012.
Jason taught for 5 years on the Isle of Islay in Scotland and has been teaching for the University of Dundee in Scotland since 2018. “In high school, I discovered a deep appreciation for the culture of Ireland and Scotland. Traditional music filled my music collection and I taught myself how to play the harp. Stories of the Fairy Folk and great heroes like Cù Chulainn and the Fianna burned in my imagination. I had to learn more.
“I followed these stories to Nova Scotia, Canada, where I started a BA in Celtic Studies. During my first year, I fell in love with Scottish Gaelic.”
Cat Allison
Curator
Cat grew up in central Scotland and lived in Edinburgh before relocating to Connecticut. Cat has many roles in her professional and personal life – talent development leader by day, artist, adventurer, and musician by night.
Ronald W. Collins
Curator
Ronald W. Collins, has written over twenty-five history, genealogy and literary books, all available on Amazon.
He was the official genealogist for the once every five year International Gathering of the Clan MacLean held in June 2023 at Duart Castle, Isle of Mull, Scotland.
Since January of 2023 he has conducted five Zoom seminars on “Finding Your Scottish Roots” which helped people trace their ancestry back to Scotland and then trace their ancestry within Scotland.
All of Ron’s historical and genealogical works were published after he retired from a successful business career as a vice president of Polaroid Corporation and the European Managing Director of Polaroid’s Graphic Arts Division. Following that he was the President and CEO of an international high-tech company.
He lives in Hebron, NH. He is a member of the New England Historic Genealogical Society, the Scottish Genealogical Society, the Mull Historical and Archaeological Society and the Mull Museum. Ron is the Senior Genealogical Curator for ScotsNewEngland (www.ScotsNewEngland.org). He is the Consulting Archivist for Sir Lachlan MacLean, 28th Chief of Clan MacLean at Duart Castle, Isle of Mull, Scotland.
Ron is available for live or Zoom presentations on Scottish genealogical research.
[Seeking]
Curator
Scots in New England is seeking a new curator for our Literature & Poetry collection.
If you are interested, please contact our Editor-in-Chief
Lois Meredith
Curator
Lois Meredith has served as the Administrative Manager of NHSCOT for the last 17 years and has been associated with the organization for 39 years. Of Scots and Welsh descent, Lois enjoys the very many friends and connections she has made over the years both through NHSCOT and throughout the Scottish communities.