City of Mount Vernon, Mayor

Shawyn Patterson-Howard

The 28th Mayor of Mount Vernon NY, Shawyn Patterson-Howard swept into office in 2020 with a mandate to transform the City from the ground up by establishing a more responsive, transparent, and effective government. In the midst of multiple major crises, including the global COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic and food insecurities, she has remained calm and committed to providing the people of Mount Vernon with the resources and effective leadership needed to navigate their current challenges.

A progressive Mayor with a pragmatic approach to leadership, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard’s first-term goals include strengthening youth services and education, supporting seniors and empowering them to age in place, and bolstering the quality of life for all residents through innovative, equity centered solutions fostered by public, private and community partnerships.

Born in Mount Vernon, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard hails from a family rooted in service to the City. A proud graduate of Mount Vernon High School, she also holds degrees from Howard University School of School Work and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Mayor Patterson-Howard began her esteemed career in public service as a social Worker at AIDS-Related Community Services and Director of the City of Mount Vernon Housing Opportunity for Persons with AIDS Program (HOPWA). Mayor Patterson-Howard worked with local, county, and state agencies to develop comprehensive HIV/AIDS services that remain active throughout the state, including shallow rent subsidies, needle exchange programs, and harm reduction models.

Mayor Patterson-Howard continued her hallmark innovative leadership in a storied career that includes roles as Director of Westchester County’s first Drug Treatment Court, Executive Director of the Mount Vernon Family YMCA, and President and Chief Executive Officer for the Yonkers Family YMCA, where she created programs to support the region’s growing community of immigrants and also to address the needs of those reintegrating into the community after extended periods of incarceration.

In 2016, Mayor Patterson-Howard was appointed Commissioner of Planning and Community Development and the Executive Director of the Urban Renewal Agency. Under her leadership, the agency secured funding to launch a Zombie Home elimination initiative, Fourth Avenue Redevelopment Study, New York State Economic Development Council funding for Memorial Field, and an Arts District.

On November 5, 2019, Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard made history as the first woman elected mayor in the City of Mount Vernon, and the first Black woman chosen for the office in Westchester County.

Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard proudly continues her family’s century-long legacy of service to Mount Vernon with support from her husband of 32 years, Marvin Howard, and daughter Nia.

Spring 2023
Fox Lane High School ’23
Macalester College ’27

I truly enjoyed my time interning at Sustainable Westchester. Not only did I learn more about sustainability, I was also able to expand my knowledge of environmental justice efforts in the community as well as the need for environmental justice and apply my knowledge of the Spanish language to projects related to environmental education. Over the course of my internship I learned so much about the ways in which we can increase our sustainability and help others do the same. I broadened my understanding of environmental problems in communities around me such as peaker power plants and how initiatives such as GridRewards can minimize and even eliminate the need for them. This internship was incredibly rewarding and I am very thankful for the opportunity to work with Sustainable Westchester.

Spring 2023
Byram Hills High School ‘23
George Washington University ‘27

Working at Sustainable Westchester has been a truly fulfilling and memorable experience. I was so thrilled to come upon this organization and when I had the opportunity to get involved, I could not give it up. As an avid advocate for the environment, I was able to pursue my interests as well as help strengthen the organization through a variety of projects. I completed individual projects to help strengthen the organization and also worked together with the other interns in my cohort to work on more complex projects. Moreover, working directly with the community was an unforgettable experience. I thoroughly enjoyed calling legislators, tabling at community events, and talking to homeowners. My favorite aspect was becoming well-versed in SW’s programs and being able to speak about them confidently with homeowners when tabling at community events. I will take the skills gained at SW with me into my future endeavors.

Spring 2023
Briarcliff High School ‘23
Emory University ‘27

I really enjoyed my time as an intern for Sustainable Westchester, both working with and learning from the SW staff and other high school interns. Everyone was so helpful and welcoming from the first day, which made the entire internship very memorable and gratifying. I think it was amazing how we were exposed to such meaningful experiences in such a brief period of time, whether that was getting to understand and witness the sustainability efforts of clothing banks such as The Sharing Shelf in Port Chester or road tripping to Albany with the other interns in order to support the NY Heat Act during legislative session. I truly appreciate how the HS Experience Program prepares young adults to take on responsibility and independence through practice with tabling, phone calls, research, and really any other project that interests the interns. I can confidently say that my time at Sustainable Westchester gave me great insight into what a real work experience looks like and furthered my strong interest in pursuing an environmentally-related career.

Spring 2023
Croton-Harmon High School ‘23
Washington University in St. Louis ’27

As a high school student with very little internship experience, I had no idea what to expect going into my time at Sustainable Westchester. From the first day, it was clear that the team at Sustainable Westchester trusted us and wanted us to explore our interests to the fullest. Each of us in our group fell into our niche pretty naturally – for me, that was making lots of written and visual content and working towards my goal of making information about energy efficiency more accessible to everyone in Westchester. I represented Sustainable Westchester at events all across the county along with other interns, where I learned so much and met so many amazing people. We spent a whole day traveling up to Albany to participate in about climate legislation. As an incoming college freshman interested in studying political science and environmental policy, this internship was a great opportunity to learn about the impacts that environmental sustainability has on our everyday lives, and the importance of this work for all aspects of society. I learned a lot about environmental justice and public health which will definitely impact my studies and the work I do going forward.

Spring 2023
Valhalla High School ‘23
University of Vermont ‘27

This internship was a great opportunity that allowed me to expand my understanding of sustainability practices, specifically when it comes to clean energy. It really connected me to my passion for environmental justice, something I don’t necessarily get in the classroom. I loved that I was able to actually interact with Westchester residents and enlighten them on the programs available to them. The program really allows for interns to focus on projects that they care about, and I loved creating a map of all the thrift stores in Westchester and I hope it will support others who are looking to discover local thrift shops. I had such a wonderful experience at Sustainable Westchester, and I learned so much about different sustainability practices and programs that will be incredibly helpful as I begin studying environmental engineering next fall.

Spring 2023
Byram Hills High School ‘23
Duke University ‘27

Being interested in sustainable business and environmental policy, I enjoyed gaining insight into the dynamics of local climate initiatives while working in Sustainable Westchester’s Solar Department. I was given the opportunity to connect with residents throughout Westchester while recruiting for a community solar project based in Mt. Kisco, as well as municipal officials when requesting support for CCA legislation to be passed in New York State’s government. When doing research, I was also intrigued to learn more about policy work. Finally, through in-person tabling events, I was able to reach out directly to community members, meet members of other environmental organizations, and collaborate closely with fellow interns. Ultimately, being a part of Sustainable Westchester was a rewarding experience because of the great people I worked with and the valuable work that we were able to do for the community.

Fall 2022 NYSERDA Clean Energy Intern
Graduate School – Columbia University, 2022

“My internship at Sustainable Westchester marked the official start of my second career after spending ten years as a musical theater performer. What drew me to Sustainable Westchester was the Westchester Power Community Choice Aggregation Program. I had briefly worked as a sales agent for a renewable electricity supply company, so I had experience doing “door-to-door” style electricity sales at green markets and events around New York City. I enjoyed my position because I felt I was using my time and energy to make an impact and increase the use of clean energy, but I was fascinated to learn that Sustainable Westchester had managed to switch entire towns to 100% renewable electricity supply! I wanted to get involved and learn how to maximize impact in this way. During the internship, I was fortunate to work with the Solar Team and immerse myself in another large-scale clean energy initiative: community solar, which delivers guaranteed savings to subscribers’ electricity bills. Solar energy plus guaranteed savings — a no-brainer! I appreciate how all departments at Sustainable Westchester place community engagement at the forefront — from working with town boards and community leaders to connecting with individual members at public events. I’m grateful to have kick-started my new career at Sustainable Westchester.”

Washington University in St. Louis, 2026
Time of Internship: 5/23/23 – 8/9/23

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” —Abigail Adams
I learned a great deal about sustainability this summer and I realized had it not been for my genuine interest in the topic, I would not have enjoyed my stay with SW. Seeing the inner machinations of solar companies and how outreach is really done was of importance to me, and learning about community solar interested me greatly. I am grateful to have interned at SW this summer, thank you.

SUNY ESF ‘21
Spring & Fall 2023 NYSERDA Clean Energy Intern

“I worked with Sustainable Westchester throughout the majority of 2023 and I will say that it has been a very productive experience where I was able to learn a lot. Sustainable Westchester allowed me to begin building my knowledge in the sphere of community solar. I had a front seat to see the development of renewable energy in NYS. I aim to take my new experiences and knowledge and apply them to new avenues in the future to continue the fight for a sustainable future and for environmental justice.”

City of Mount Vernon, Mayor

Shawyn Patterson-Howard

© 2020 Sustainable Westchester.All Rights Reserved

Laura Williams

Vienna Ouyang-Christiansen

Talia London

Molly Levitt

Jada Fleiss

Alaska Fairbanks

Megan Ort

Erick Tiburcio

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