Jamila Winder is appointed to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners
Excerpted from / Courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer
A leadership shake-up is coming to Montgomery County. With Commissioner Val Arkoosh resigning to join Gov. Josh Shapiro’s administration and Commissioner Ken Lawrence not seeking reelection, the Democratic-led governing board is about to change for the first time in years.
The first step came Monday, when a judge appointed Jamila Winder, an elected official in East Norriton Township and an executive for an online learning platform, to serve the remainder of Arkoosh’s term. She’ll be the first Black woman to serve on the Montgomery County board.
“Montgomery County needs to have leaders that reflect the diversity of our neighbors,” Winder, 44, said in her application to Common Pleas Court, which handles vacancies. “Not just in race or gender, but in lived experiences. My experiences caring for elderly parents, as a working mother with a young family, as a woman of color, and as someone from the middle (working) class, I represent many residents and can relate to their needs based on lived experiences.”
Common Pleas Court Judge Carolyn T. Carluccio signed an order Monday appointing Winder. Jason Salus, chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee, described Winder as a “historic pick.” She just wowed us,” he said in an interview. “Very impressive professional background, deep roots in the community, and service to her community.”
Under the county code, Common Pleas Court is required to fill a vacancy on the commissioners board by appointing a resident of the same political party as the resigning member. In this case, that meant the court had to pick a Democrat. The county Democratic Party interviewed most of the applicants and recommended the court appoint Winder — a member of the party’s executive board — to the position. The court received more than 20 applications, records show.
Winder is chair of the East Norriton Board of Supervisors and previously served as a director of the Norristown Area School District. She’s a vice president at Lecturio, a global online learning platform, responsible for the company’s U.S. operations.
“I felt there was more that I could do, between my service governing, my knowledge of the county, and my private-sector experience,” Winder said in an interview. “I said, ‘Why not me?’ There’s never been a woman of color to serve in that capacity. For the longest time growing up in Montgomery County, I haven’t seen a lot of people who look like me in key leadership roles.”
Winder, who has two elderly parents, said she wants to protect services for seniors and improve programs for people struggling with addiction and mental health. She also hopes to strengthen partnerships between organized labor and contractors.