Dame Ruth Nita Barrow, GCMG DA (15 November 1916 – 19 December 1995)[1] was the first female governor-general of Barbados.

[5][7] She began her nursing profession in her early years following in the steps of her uncle and father, and completed her basic training at the Barbados General Hospital.

[9][10] Following the regional expansion of the West Indies School, she became a director of a nursing research project in the Commonwealth Caribbean.

[11] Barrow's career began in 1964, when she became a Nursing Advisor for the Pan American Health Organization for the Caribbean area.

[11][12] She was president of the International Council of Adult Education (ICAE) from 1982 through 1990 and Convenor of the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Forum for the Decade of Women in Nairobi, Kenya in 1983.

[17] The ICAE created the Dame Nita Barrow award which supports regional and nation adult education organizations that have made a great contribution towards the empowerment of women.