She had previously been a local councillor and worked as a special political advisor and deputy police and crime commissioner to Alun Michael.

[5][3] Howe advised the Welsh government against building a bypass around Newport linked to the M4 motorway because it would result in financial debt for the future as well as destroy local biodiversity.

In 2020 she went further to provide financial support for staff when leaving an abusive relationship in the form of a salary advance, loan or small grant.

[7] In October 2020 Howe initiated a Manifesto for the Future study into providing a basic income for all citizens in parallel with a shorter working week as a response to unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

[9] In January 2023 Howe completed her term as Future Generations Commissioner and the role was passed to Derek Walker.

[10][11] Howe has talked about the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 at events as diverse as the literary Hay Festival in 2019[12] and when meeting with Housing Women Cymru.

[17] Howe was one of four candidates on a Labour party shortlist for the Cardiff North constituency at the 2015 general election for the UK parliament.

[19] In the words of the newspaper, Howe, "whose role is to hold public bodies and politicians and the long-term impact their decisions have to account", took trips to Paris, New York, Hamburg, Vienna, Toronto, Oslo, Seoul, Sharm el Sheik in Egypt and Dubai.