Team

Tom Bennett

Tom is a cultural heritage professional experienced in working with archives and collections in Edinburgh and Copenhagen. He previously managed the archive and collection at George Watson’s College and sat on the committee of the School Archives and Records Association. In 2024, he was awarded an ARA Excellence Award for using heritage collections to engage communities and convening a regional group of school archivists in Scotland and Northern England. As the Sector Development Manager at the Scottish Council on Archives, Tom leads professional development and capacity building programmes, advocates for the sector, and works to improve the visibility, resilience, impact and inclusivity of Scottish records and archives. He also coordinates the Archives Accreditation scheme in Scotland as well as provides support and guidance for contributors to the Your Scottish Archives portal.

Karen McKinlay

Karen is an experienced financial administrator, having worked in both the charity and private sectors for many years.  Karen has worked with Youth Scotland, LGBT Youth Scotland, Rowan Alba, Age Concern Scotland and Smith Scott Mullan Architects.   Karen brings her considerable financial and administration experience to SCA, working with the Director to produce and monitor budgets, prepare management accounts and cashflow statements as well as carrying out day-to-day bookkeeping and administration duties.

John Pelan

John Pelan took on the role of Director of the Scottish Council on Archives in December 2017. John provides organisational leadership for SCA and, working with trustees, staff and stakeholders, develops its strategic direction. John has worked in the culture and heritage sectors in Scotland for several decades. Prior to joining SCA he was Director of the Scottish Civic Trust and previously held senior positions with the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland including Depute Secretary and Director of Communications. John is passionate about archives and the role they have in fostering a sense of identity and engagement with the past.

Elspeth Reid

Elspeth is a very experienced archivist who has worked in many different archive services in Canada and Scotland, including a long spell as archivist with Falkirk Community Trust and Falkirk Council from 1996 to 2018. Elspeth is a Fellow of the Archives and Records Association and an Honorary Teaching Fellow at the Centre for Archives and Information Studies, University of Dundee.  Elspeth’s wide range of skills including supporting volunteers, tutoring students, mentoring archivists, developing staff, as well as operational management, policy development and compliance. Elspeth edits and provides content for SCA’s new Your Scottish Archives portal and also created much of  the SCA Scottish Community Archives Toolkit.

Erika Silverman

Erika recently graduation with a doctorate and has a background in information science, communities and heritage. She has worked in the heritage, culture and archive sector for years, working with various venues and organisations on how to preserve unsung narratives. Much of her work has involved working with individuals and organisations to teach archival and conservation practices and promote open-source information sharing to break down barriers to preservation. She joined the SCA in 2024 to contribute to the Community Stories - Community Archives project.

Laura Stevens

Laura is an archivist with over a decade’s worth of experience working with the archives of organisations including the third sector, higher education and the National Health Service. Her skills set includes archives management training, supporting volunteers, cataloguing, digitisation and community outreach. Laura is one of the Consultant Archivists working on the National Heritage Lottery Funded project Community Stories - Community Archives to help support community archives with the care and development of their heritage collections.

Marissa Trimble

Marissa has a background in Classics and Museum Studies and has a range of experiences at various heritage organisations. As the Digital Communications and Events Assistant she will be assisting with the activities of the organisation and running our social media accounts. She is excited to help communicate the importance of archives.

Audrey Wilson

As a trained conservator, Audrey has worked for organisations ranging from the Royal Opera House, London, to the State Library of New South Wales. She was the Senior Conservator at the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland and went on to establish her own business, Conservation Consortium Scotland in Edinburgh. Following the successful delivery of the NHLF funded Skills for the Future project, Opening Up Scotland’s Archive, Audrey built on the project’s legacy, widening participation and engagement, working closely with community archives and local history groups, to encourage their sustainability and development. The Partnerships and Engagement Manager is responsible for the management and delivery of SCA’s outreach and engagement programme, including the co-ordination of a programme of activity focussing on community archives, volunteering and non-professional audiences.