Sylvie Gallier Howard is the Founder & CEO of Equitable Cities Consulting; a practice focused on expanding the field and impact of inclusive, equitable economic development. Sylvie Gallier Howard has extensive experience leading organizations and diverse teams in the non-profit, private, and public sectors.
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.
Prior to joining the government, Sylvie spent her career in the non-profit sector and running her own small business. Sylvie has also served as the Executive Director of two community-based non-profits in Philadelphia: The Northwest Fund and The Empowerment Group. 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.
