Montco Names New County Commissioner To Replace Val Arkoosh

NORRISTOWN, PA — Montgomery County has announced its replacement to longtime Commissioner Val Arkoosh as it named Democrat Jamila Winder, the chair of the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors, to fill the one-year posting on Tuesday.

Winder is the first Black woman to serve as Commissioner in county history.

“I am extremely proud to welcome Jamila as our next Commissioner and I look forward to serving alongside her this coming year,” Commissioner Ken Lawrence said in a statement. “I know that Jamila’s ties to our community run deep, and I am confident she will work every day in service to our residents to continue to make Montgomery County one of the best places to live and raise a family.”

Winder served the Norristown Area School Board from 2017 to 2020 and has served on the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors since 2020 and was named chair in 2023. She also leads the American team at an international digital medical education company.

Winder's appointment comes just weeks after Arkoosh was selected to lead Gov. Josh Shapiro's Department of Human Services, and Lawrence announced he would leave at the end of his term in 2023.

Arkoosh, Lawrence, and Republican Commissioner Joe Gale have made up the same three-person board since 2015.

Winder is a graduate of Norristown Area High School, Penn State University, and Eastern University.

Swearing in will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 3:30 p.m. in the Montgomery County Courthouse.