About Howard
Howard Schweitzer is a nationally recognized lawyer and lobbyist. He is the CEO of Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies and a member of Cozen O’Connor’s Board of Directors.
Howard is rare among senior political advisors for having served in high-level executive branch positions in both Democratic and Republican administrations, including under presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama. Howard’s bipartisan bonafides and deep knowledge of the political process and players allow him to provide even-handed, pragmatic advice that helps clients achieve their goals.
The headlines may focus on partisan division and political intransigence, but the hard work of policymaking, legislating, and regulatory enforcement continues behind the scenes. Howard counsels clients on critical regulatory and policy issues, provides strategic political advice, directs multi-jurisdictional lobbying campaigns, and coordinates advocacy efforts at every level of government.
Howard joined Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies in January 2010 and has since spearhead the firm’s expansion. Under his leadership, Public Strategies has grown from three regional offices to nine nationwide, established significant operations in the three largest cities in the U.S. and Washington, D.C., and assembled what may be the most diverse lobbying team in the country.
Prior to entering private practice, Howard held several prominent roles in the executive branch. In 2008, he was appointed Chief Operating Officer of the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), the initiative tasked with stabilizing the country’s financial system in the wake of the global financial crisis. Howard was a key point person on the federal government’s response throughout the Great Recession and a recipient of the Treasury Department’s Distinguished Service Award.
Before moving to Treasury, Howard served at the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank) as a trusted adviser to five successive chief executives. He first joined the Ex-Im Bank as a staff attorney during the Clinton administration and worked his way up the ranks, eventually becoming the Snr Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary, & Chief Ethics Officer, appointed by President George W. Bush. At Ex-Im, Howard helped negotiate the bank’s most complex international financial transactions, manage its $60B credit portfolio, and led the senate confirmation process for dozens of presidential nominees.
Howard is a regular contributor to political media outlets. He has been published in Fortune, Forbes, The Daily Caller, and The Washington Post, and has appeared as a guest on CNN and POTUS Politics. He co-hosts Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies’ podcast, Beltway Briefing, which covers political and policy developments in Washington.
In his pro bono practice, Howard regularly represents a leading mental health nonprofit and serves on the Children’s National Medical Center Corporate Advisory Council.
He earned his law degree from George Washington University Law School and his Bachelor of Arts in history, with distinction, from the University of Michigan.