About Linda Howard
Hi there. I'm Linda Howard.
I work with purpose-driven organizations that are serious about culture. Not as a values statement on the wall, but as a system that shapes how people make decisions, treat each other, and get work done.
If your organization is growing, navigating change, or sensing that something is quietly off in how your team functions, that’s where I come in.
How I Ended Up Here
In college, I studied psychology and higher education administration. My first career was in university financial aid administration, where I developed a reputation for something unexpected: when students and parents came in angry about their aid package, they left my office calm.
My colleagues noticed. The reason was simple. I listened. I connected with people and helped them feel heard.
That instinct followed me into my next career in information technology consulting, where I managed complex projects across sectors including environmental organizations, higher education, telecommunications, and government. I regularly brought together strangers, helped them build working relationships, and guided them toward shared goals.
Teams that were struggling to collaborate became my specialty. “Got a team that is struggling to work together? Call Linda Howard.”
In 2006, I founded Howard Consulting LLC. Since then, my work has evolved from project management, team development, and facilitation into something much more comprehensive and impactful: strategic culture consulting.
What I Do Now
I help mid-sized nonprofits and associations understand their culture as it actually exists. That means looking honestly at the habits, patterns, and unspoken norms that shape how people work together, then designing the culture they want rather than patching the one they have.
My primary service is the Culture in Practice Program, a three-phase process that begins with the Culture Threads Assessment.
All clients start there. Some continue through culture design and implementation. Others come away with enough clarity and direction to move forward on their own.
In 2025, I interviewed U.S. nonprofit leaders for Fearless Culture’s Global Culture Pulse Study and authored the U.S. Nonprofit Culture Pulse Report — a look at how nonprofit leaders are experiencing culture challenges right now.
A Few Credentials
I facilitate Everything DiSC and the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team as part of my practice. I am also a Certified Virtual Facilitator.
I am active in the Mid-Atlantic Facilitators Network (MAFN) and lead their virtual professional development program.
In 2024, I was invited by Gustavo Razetti, CEO and Founder of Fearless Culture, to become an Associate. As an Associate, I’m part of a global community of experienced culture designers who frequently collaborate on large or complex culture design projects. Learn more about our Culture Design Services.
A little about me
I ask a lot of questions, look for what’s being overlooked, and want to understand why things are the way they are. Clients often tell me I surface things they knew were there but hadn’t been able to name. (For what it’s worth, I tested as an Enneagram 5 — The Investigator. It fits.)
I grew up on a farm in southern Indiana, and that upbringing shaped me in ways I still notice. I’m comfortable with solitude, a slower pace, and work that takes time to do right. I don’t need a lot of noise or activity to feel settled. After years in Toledo, Miami, and Washington DC, I moved to Poolesville, Maryland in 2015 — an agricultural small-town community outside of DC where traffic jams are occasionally caused by farm tractors. It suits me perfectly.
When I’m not working, you’ll find me on a quiet lake in a kayak or playing my 12-string Larriveé guitar. At some point, I’ll share my newest hobby – carving small caricatures (no photos available, yet).
If the day ends with a good sunset and a glass of wine, even better.
I’m most at home outdoors, in natural settings, away from screens and noise.
I do my best to carry that calmness into my work mode as well.
Ready to take a closer look?
If you’re curious whether this work is a fit, let’s talk.
Or if you’d like to explore the full range of what I offer, visit the Services page.