Caroline Sylvan is a director at PFM, with 17 years of experience working directly with public sector human services agencies. She leads the practice’s Health and Human Services group, working nationally with states and counties to improve the delivery, operations, and financial sustainability of human services programs.
Caroline’s work spans a wide range of engagements, including process improvement, organizational assessments, fiscal and policy support for new initiatives, and compliance with state and federal regulations. She has deep experience in federal reporting, compliance, eligibility determinations, and claiming, with in-depth knowledge of Title IV-E.
Caroline has led numerous organizational assessments and structural reviews, including the integration of Montgomery County, Pennsylvania’s human services agencies and an operational review of Harris County Public Health. She has worked with Philadelphia’s Department of Human Services on a broad range of initiatives, spanning staffing and organizational assessments, fiscal compliance and reporting, process improvements, and implementation support. Her project experience also includes child care assistance, a multiyear evaluation of Harris County’s small business loan program, and fiscal process mapping with the Minnesota Department of Human Services. Additional clients have included Colorado, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Los Angeles County, among others.
Caroline holds an M.P.A. from New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a B.A. in Growth and Structure of Cities from Bryn Mawr College. Before joining PFM, she worked in the nonprofit sector, including at The Food Trust and Vanguard’s Charitable Endowment Program.
