Melisa Bermudez, Clan MacFarlane Secretary

It is with great pleasure that we announce the installation of Melisa Bermudez as the new International Clan MacFarlane Society Secretary. Melisa has been an invaluable member of our organisation for years and has served with dedication and passion.

Many of you may know Melisa and her husband Bill Bermudez from their time as Commissioners to Northern California, USA. During their tenure, they work tirelessly to promote our Clan’s history and culture, organise events and gatherings, and connect members from all around the region.

Melisa’s commitment to the Clan MacFarlane is truly inspiring. Her deep appreciation for our heritage and traditions, combined with her organisational skills and leadership qualities, make her an ideal choice for the role of Secretary. We are confident that under her guidance, our Society will continue to thrive and grow.

Melisa will be taking over for our previous Secretary, John Manchester, who has moved laterally into a new role.

Please join us in congratulating Melisa on her new position. We look forward to working with her and continuing to strengthen our bonds as members of the Clan MacFarlane.

Meet Melisa | In Her Own Words

We asked Melisa to tell you all a bit about herself, her connection to Clan MacFarlane and her thoughts on representing the Society. Here’s what he had to say:

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? What part of the world are you from? What do you do for work? What are your passions?

 I grew up in a small community outside of Bakersfield, California, USA. I have been living in the San Francisco Bay area for the last 24 years and am currently in the quaint town of Martinez, California, just off the Carquinez Strait.

I work for an engineering firm where I am a project coordinator/engineer.

My passions are probably too many to list but mostly revolve around my Masonic/Eastern Star & Shriner groups, our Clan games and traveling.

Q: Can you tell us a bit about your ancestors/personal family history?

My Allen family is a sept of MacFarlane.

We have family ties in the small town of Beith, Scotland about 21 miles west of Glasgow. It appears that my family migrated to America in the early 1600s near Massachusetts.

Q: How did you discover or learn about your MacFarlane heritage?

In the 1980’s, my parents were part of a genealogical group that was helping to track my father’s biological family. Although it was there they started to discover our family history, it was my brother who really jump-started my family into our Scottish heritage.

They would attend our local Scottish Games and in turn the rest of us started to attend them. The more I went,  the more I wanted to find out about our history.

Q: What area of Clan MacFarlane history or heritage interests you the most?

I find what I love most is learning about our members and what path they were on that brought them to join the Clan.

Q: As Clan MacFarlane Secretary, what are you looking forward to the most? What would you most like to accomplish in your new position?

As Secretary, I’m excited to be part of the bigger picture that will help keep our history going for generations to come.

Melisa will be officially installed as Secretary at our upcoming 50th Annual World Gathering & General Meeting at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games in Linville, North Carolina, USA in July.