At the recent inauguration ceremony at the Montgomery County Community College Blue Bell Campus, Montgomery County celebrated its new historically diverse board of commissioners, writes Kim Hudson for CBS News.

Neil Makhija said that his grandmother is excited about his election to the board. He is the first person of Asian descent to be elected to the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.

“My grandparents on the other side of the world settled in an empty military barracks outside of Mumbai as refugees of India’s Partition,” he said.

“It’s just such an honor to be able to show her what my family has been able to accomplish in just one generation of being refugees to now being able to serve and lead in one of the highest offices here in our Commonwealth [of Pennsylvania].”

Jamila Winder was the first Black woman elected to the board in November 2023 and will serve as chair. She also noted the significance of the diversity of the board.

“It’s a changing of the tide, right? It’s truly now showing that county government is representing all Montgomery residents.”

The first meeting of the new board is Thursday, January 11.

Read more about the historic inauguration ceremony of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners at CBS News.