Board Secretary
Sylvie Gallier Howard has extensive experience leading organizations and diverse teams in the non-profit, private and public sectors. She is a passionate and creative “Doer” who excels at shaping and launching new initiatives.
In her most recent tenure at the Department of Commerce as part of the leadership of Philadelphia’s City government, she spearheaded strategic planning and implementation processes for the City in areas of inclusive growth, workforce development, equitable entrepreneurship and economic recovery. Just weeks after the COVID-19 shut-downs and the successive civil unrest, she oversaw the creation of two distinct emergency grant programs to support small, Black and brown businesses. Other notable accomplishments include serving as co-lead for the city’s bid for Amazon’s HQ2, spearheading the development of a public-private partnership to develop the region’s global identity and overseeing the City’s first comprehensive incentive analysis. She also initiated the launch of Kiva City Philadelphia, a zero-interest micro-business loan program, and was part of a small team that led the City’s successful effort to become the first World Heritage City in the U.S.
Prior to joining government, Sylvie spent her career in the non-profit sector and running her own small business. For six years, Sylvie was the Principal and Founder of Clementine Consulting, providing guidance to non-profits and social enterprises working in areas such as education, social justice, economic development and immigration. Sylvie has also served as the Executive Director of two community-based non-profits in Philadelphia: The Northwest Fund and The Empowerment Group. At the Empowerment Group, Sylvie started Philadelphia’s first bilingual Spanish-English entrepreneurship training program.
Sylvie has a passion for education and serves on the board of directors of the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia. She has a B.A. in International relations from Barnard College of Columbia University and an M.A. in Sociology from Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) in Ecuador – a graduate school started by the United Nations Development Program to promote development in Latin America. Sylvie is fluent in Spanish and French and is the mother of four boys – including twins.
Sylvie is excited to partner in supporting efforts to foster equitable economic development and social impact in cities across the globe.