First Black Female Commissioner: ‘I Haven’t Seen a Lot of People Who Look Like Me in Key Leadership Roles’

By

Jamila Winder
Image via the Montgomery County Democratic Committee at The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Jamila Winder.

A Jan. 30 order from Common Pleas Court Judge Carolyn Carluccio has appointed Jamila Winder to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. Andrew Seidman reported the replacement for Valerie Arkoosh in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Winder’s career move is historic; she becomes the county’s first Black, female commissioner.

Propelling her self-nomination was her perceived need “… to have leaders that reflect the diversity of our neighbors.

“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,” she wrote.

Winder’s résumé shows:

“I felt there was more that I could do, between my service governing, my knowledge of the county, and my private-sector experience,” Winder commented.

“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,” she concluded.

More on Jamila Winder is at The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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This 2017 Jamila Winder interview was illustrative in her bid to join the Norristown Area School District board, a seat she won.

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