Whiteford was born in 1969 in
Aberdeen and grew up in
Macduff,
Banffshire. She attended
Banff Academy and has been active in the
SNP since joining her local branch in 1986 during the run-up to
Alex Salmond's election in 1987. She graduated from
Glasgow University with
First Class Honours in
English and
Scottish Literature, followed by postgraduate studies in
Canada and Scotland that led to a PhD in 1998. While at university, she became involved with the
Federation of Student Nationalists, first as National Organiser and then as President, sitting on the SNP National Executive and acting as party spokesperson on
Higher Education. In 1992, she worked in the
Peterhead office for Alex Salmond. She returned to the
North East in early 1998 to work for
Allan Macartney MEP. After Macartney died in August 1998, she worked for
Ian Hudghton MEP until the 1999 elections, and later helped new MSP
Irene McGugan establish a
constituency office in the
first term of the Scottish Parliament. She became a lecturer at Glasgow University in 1999 teaching
Scottish Literature and developing access routes into higher education for
mature students (in Glasgow University's adult and continuing education department). In 2001, she moved into a campaigning role in the
voluntary sector as Co-ordinator of the Scottish Carers' Alliance, a network of carer, disability and children's organisations working for the rights of and to support people looking after elderly, sick or disabled relatives or friends at home. In 2003 she moved to
Oxfam where she worked as a policy adviser and campaigns manager for over six years in a role that took her to many parts of the world. Closer to home, Whiteford was actively involved in the
Make Poverty History campaign in 2005 and helped establish the
Scottish Fair Trade Forum. In 2006 she was chair of
Global Call to Action Against Poverty Scotland. She also promoted
development issues with
members of the Scottish Parliament, and immediately after the Make Poverty History campaign, became Oxfam's Scottish Campaigns Manager. She left this post in 2009, to stand as a SNP candidate for
Banff and Buchan. She sat on the Board of
Turning Point Scotland until 2011. Whiteford maintains her interests in
social policy and global issues as a volunteer for several charities, and previously sat on the Board
Jubilee Scotland. ==Member of Parliament==