Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard is the 28th Mayor of the City of Mount Vernon, New York serving the people of the historic Westchester community as the first woman in this capacity since her inauguration in 2020. With over three decades in public service as a leader in the early fight against the HIV-AIDS epidemic, a social worker, and non-profit executive director, Mayor Patterson-Howard employs her straightforward and pragmatic style to advocate for and raise the profile of the state’s eighth densest city. A somewhat reluctant politician, Mayor Patterson-Howard relies on collaboration and partnership on every level to address everyday issues and major crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic and food insecurity to infrastructure failures and gun violence, to set Mount Vernon on a path to growth, resilience, sustainability, and true governance. Mayor Patterson-Howard was reared with her sister on the southside of Mount Vernon by her mother and stepfather. She first became acquainted with Mt. Vernon government when she would visit her grandfather, the City’s very first African-American employee, an elevator operator in City Hall. A product of the City’s public school system, then Shawyn Patterson, went to Howard University, the real “HU,” where she would pick up both a degree from the School of Social Work and a new last name when she wed her husband Marvin Howard in their sophomore year. “SPH”, her newly minted moniker furthered her education with a Master’s in Public Administration and Urban/Community Planning from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice while raising their only child, a daughter, Nia. Mayor Patterson-Howard’s trailblazing work in public health, specifically AIDS awareness and reduction, housing for persons with AIDS, immigration programming, and anti-recidivism/anti-violence efforts, establishment of the County’s first drug treatment court, executive leadership, and planning and oversight of multi-million-dollar budgets have prepared her to be a servant leader in government. Still in her inaugural term, Mayor Patterson-Howard has fast become a force to reckon with as she has risen to the national stage for her unapologetic advocacy for environmental justice and resources to remedy the remnants of racist infrastructure. Her knack for building strategic partnerships to bring resources and expertise to her city, and her co-creation of strategies with state and federal partners have been instrumental in rebuilding trust and preventing disaffection in the future. In three short years, her efforts and skills have resulted in the acquisition of life-saving equipment and vaccines to service the community during the height of the pandemic, the successful “Save and Transform Mt. Vernon Hospital” campaign to preserve the City’s only hospital and access to lifesaving services, an increase and improvement of both youth and senior programming, the reopening of the City’s Historic Memorial Field after a 12-year hiatus, the award of over $150 Million in grant funding to rebuild the City’s crumbling sewer system (the largest singular award in New York State history), the launch of the City’s Zombie Home Elimination Initiative, increased sales tax revenue for three years straight, the paving of more than 120 roads with 150 more scheduled, a 14% reduction in violent crime, the modernization of the City’s vehicle fleet and first-responder equipment, the establishment of a Police Wellness Precinct (the first of its kind in the entire Northeast United States), provided relief to homeowners and businessowners to avoid foreclosure and eviction, initiation of the City’s Comprehensive Planning process for the first time in nearly 60 years, and establishment of an Economic Development Center open to residents of all incomes. Though Mayor Patterson-Howard continues her family’s legacy of being “first,” the first woman and person of color appointed President and Chief Executive Officer for the Yonkers Family YMCA in New York, the first elected woman Mayor in the City’s 200 plus year history, and the first African American woman and woman-of-color Mayor in the County of Westchester New York’s history; she has no desire to be “the only” and paves the way for those beside her and behind her. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Mayor Patterson-Howard values volunteerism and holds positions on several local and national Board of Directors including 1st Vice President of the African American Mayor’s Association (AAMA), Secretary of the Westchester Municipal Officials Association (WMOA), Member of the Children, Health & Human Services Committee of the United States Conference of Mayors (USCOM), and is a member of the National League of Cities (NLC) Women’s Advisory Committee, the New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) Nominating Committee, Member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, the Mayors for a Guaranteed Income Board of Directors, Sustainable Westchester Board of Directors, Hutchinson River Watershed Plan Steering Committee, and Co-Chair of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.