18 www.Char l e s tonWomenPodcas t . com | www.ReadCW. com | www. Ins t ag ram. com /Char l e s tonWomen Feature social, philanthropic and business entities throughout the Charleston community and beyond. These things are beyond impressive, but it takes more than an outstanding resumé to lead such a large group of actual human beings while all parts operate like a well-oiled machine. It takes an x-factor — something in one’s nature. Something had to be the catalyst to collect the long list of achievements. It takes the woman behind the accolades to complete that recipe—the recipe that built the first woman in history to run a top-10 U.S. port. Melvin was encouraged by her parents to “take intelligent risks” from an early age. She was also enthralled by politics in a unique way. She didn’t dream of perching behind a podium and delivering the State of the Union while both sides of the aisle stand roaring with applause. Instead, she was fascinated by how things ran and by what made all the parts of the world work. She was the rare political enthusiast who loved policy and focused on the functions of concrete things that make the world move. She was focused on how people were able to work, eat and live at the micro and macro levels. What’s more is that she could envision it and facilitate it. The bottom line: she always had a heart for people and for the good of the world as one body. Without that, the accomplishments would have never been sought out and that impressive resumé never built.
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