Board of Directors

Theona lives on a working croft in Uist in the Outer Hebrides. She has attended all the Scottish Rural Parliaments prior to becoming Chair in 2020. A founding director of http://codel.scot/ (Community Development Lens) which first identified young adults returning, settling and staying in the islands contrary to the dominant narrative. Redefining Peripherality is a movement which emerged out the Northern Periphery and Arctic research led by CoDeL on the economic impact of Covid. This evidenced that on balance, rural and island communities demonstrated considerable resilience and overall performed better. She has considerable knowledge of Scotland’s rural and island economy. Theona has presented such findings at The World Rural Health Conference in Limerick in June 2022, The European Rural Parliament in Poland in September 2022 and the Arctic Circle Assembly in October 2022. She co-wrote and delivered a strategy which linked education with economic opportunity designed to stem population decline.

Alistair was born and raised in rural Angus and has first-hand experience of the issues faced by rural communities.  He studied for a degree in Environmental Management at the University of Dundee, where he focussed his energies on rural development.

After University, Alistair joined the Scottish Government, working in the rural policy arena with notable successes, particularly working with partners on the new application for UNESCO biosphere in Wester Ross, establishing the Scottish Rural Network, Rural Innovation Support Service and the Scottish Rural Parliament.

Since leaving government, Alistair has been looking to utilise the knowledge, skills and expertise he has gained over many years as a rural dweller and policy practitioner. 

After spending her first few years living in urban Western Australia, Aimee’s family moved back to Scotland and settled in her mother’s rural hometown of Campbeltown in the Mull of Kintyre. While growing up, Aimee became all too familiar with the ups and downs of rural living. In 2016, Aimee decided to pursue a career in journalism and moved to Edinburgh to attend University.

Upon completing her degree, Aimee’s graduation coincided with the Covid-19 Pandemic and put her career plans on hold. Fortunately, she was able to find employment through lockdown with a social enterprise based in her hometown that had a focus on rural community development. This is when Aimee realised that she had a passion for rural life and helping to improve the lives of those who live there. Aimee attended the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) in 2022 in this role and spent time in Rural Victoria where she learnt from isolated communities.

Brendan is an Irish habitat ecologist and land management consultant who’s spent 30 years in the Highlands and Islands. An irrational Germanophile, he also spent five years in Germany. Politics, whether party, community, land reform, land use, has occupied him for over 40 years. He’s been active at the intersection of land use, policy, agricultural support and communities since 2010. Having been brainwashed into seeing the world through crofting spectacles by his neighbours in Lewis in the ‘90s, he was involved with the Scottish Crofting Federation for 5 years and through that became involved in housing activism. He is a director of the Communities Housing Trust and leads on housing for Lochbroom and Ullapool Community Trust.

Brendan now lives on a croft in Elphin, in Assynt in northwest Sutherland, where he provides unskilled assistance to his partner. Away from Scotland he set up a political violence monitoring organisation called PIRUSA2020 to assist peace-building and civil society organisations in the US in autumn 2020, based on a background as a mapper, media and data nerd. He also has a passion for community radio and helping to run small-scale music festivals.

Chiara is a dedicated advocate for rural and island communities, using her diverse experience in architecture, community activism, and environmental strategy to empower local voices in shaping their places and addressing the climate emergency. Through co-founding a Community Interest Company - Imagine If.Space. - focused on inclusive participation, facilitating community-led planning processes, and collaborating with various stakeholders, including youth groups, Chiara actively fosters agency and resilience at local level. Chiara is currently an Environmental Strategy Officer with Fife Council.

Flora grew up on a croft in Wester Ross and her first job was on the Outer Hebrides where she lived for four years. Along with her professional experience in the environmental sector, she offers an informed understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing rural communities. With a commitment to amplifying rural voices and fostering inclusive, sustainable solutions, Flora recognises the need for bold ideas and policy changes to address issues such as renewable energy, sustainable tourism, and rural employment. Flora also brings valuable skills in evidence creation, stakeholder engagement and strategic messaging, with a vision of improving rural lives through collaborative action and advocacy. Flora is currently a Tree Health Policy Officer with Scottish Forestry, and volunteers as a Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland Vice County recorder for Banffshire.