Lee Howard is the founder of the Alliance of New York State Arts Councils and former chair of the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies. She was one of vanguards of the local arts agency movement in the United States. As public school teacher in Newton, MA, in the 1950s, she was an early adopter of arts in education. In 1972, she became executive director of the Huntington Arts Council and from there went on to found the Alliance of New York State Arts Councils (ANYSAC) serving as its first chair and in 1977 its executive director.  Howard also led the transition of the National Assembly of Community Arts Agencies (NACAA) to become the National Assembly of Local Arts Agencies (NALAA) in 1978. From 1979 - 1981, she served as NALAA’s chair and helped establish the policy leading to greater federal, state, and local partnerships. She also worked extensively with local arts councils and alliances in developing technical services and advocacy systems.

Since retiring from the Lyme Academy, College of Fine Arts, in 1997, Howard continues to be an arts consultant for local organizations.