Melva Lowe de Goodin, is a retired professor of English and the current president of the Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum of Panama. She obtained her B.A. degree in literature from Connecticut College, and her M.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She has taught at the University of Zambia, the University of Panama, and the Florida State University (FSU) Panama Canal Branch. She initiated and coordinated the English Language Program at FSU Panama for more than 20 years, and served as a professor of English at the University of Panama for more than 30 years. Her publications include two academic textbooks, PRACTICAL LESSONS IN ENGLISH, volumes 1 &2. In 1981, she became the founding president of SAMAAP, the Society of Friends of the West Indian Museum of Panama, and in 2018, she was re-elected to the presidency of that organization. Her publications on the history, culture, and experiences of black people in Panama include From Barbados to Panama (1997) and People of African Ancestry in Panama 1501-2012. Melva resides in Panama City with her husband, Orville Goodin, and is the mother of one son, Kwamena Goodin.