South Carolina Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin received the Outstanding Women in Supply Chain Award from supply chain management students at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Melvin is the president and CEO of South Carolina Ports, the 8th largest U.S. container port. She assumed the helm of the 1,000-person maritime agency in July 2022, becoming the first woman to lead a top 10 U.S. operating container port.

Melvin’s career spans 25 years at South Carolina Ports. She previously led government relations, community engagement, public relations and port operations. She served as the port’s first chief operating officer before being named CEO.

Melvin spearheaded critical port infrastructure projects, including the Charleston Harbor Deepening Project, which yielded the deepest harbor on the East Coast at 52 feet.

As CEO, she approaches operations holistically, working with the SC Ports team and broader maritime community to provide efficient operations, and she works to grow the port’s cargo base to support job growth throughout South Carolina.

Melvin’s leadership extends into the community and with students, including with the supply chain management program at the University of Tennessee.

Melvin graduated with an Executive Masters in Business Administration in Global Supply Chain from the University of Tennessee Haslam College of Business.