Jamaica: Verma Wevlyn Panton

Born in 1936 in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, Verma Wevlyn Panton is considered the first woman architect in Jamaica and the West Indies. She held a bachelor’s of architecture from McGill University in Montreal, Canada (c. 1958). Panton worked as an assistant land surveyor in the Survey Department of the Jamaican government (1956–1958) until she was awarded a government scholarship which enabled her to pursue higher education in Canada. She returned to Jamaica (1964) after her graduation, working as a project architect and construction manager for the Ministry of Education (1964–1968) and then for the architectural firm McMorris, Sibley and Robinson (1968–1982). Panton then became a partner and associate director of the Landmark Development Company (c. 1983–1984), where she worked until she established her own architectural firm in Kingston, Jamaica. She was a member of the Jamaica Institute of Architects (JIA), chair of the Organizing Committee for the Pan-American Federation of Schools of Architects conference (1974), and a founding member of the Jamaica Board of Registration of Architects (1987), where she served on the board and held various leadership positions. She earned a certificate of recognition for “Pioneer Woman in Architecture and Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Architecture” from the Jamaica Institute of Architects (1985). Panton died in 2015 in Jamaica.