Montgomery County commissioners elect Jamila Winder chair, Neil Makisha vice chair

Jamila Winder was elected chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners and Neil Makisha was named vice chair at the board's Jan. 5 meeting.

The board opened nominations for chair at the start of the meeting. Speaker 1 nominated Commissioner Jamila Winder; the nomination was seconded by Commissioner DiVello. Speaker 1 moved to appoint Winder to a term expiring Jan. 4, 2027; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. Winder thanked her colleagues and pledged to lead collaboratively, saying, "That is my commitment to you and all of Montgomery County."

Nominations for vice chair followed. Speaker 3 nominated Commissioner Neil Makisha; the nomination received a second and Speaker 3 moved to appoint Makisha as vice chair for a term to expire Jan. 4, 2027. The motion carried by voice vote.

The reorganization was presented as part of a wider set of opening remarks that emphasized bipartisan work on the 2025 budget and upcoming 2026 priorities, including behavioral health and transitional housing projects. The board did not enact policy changes during the reorganization beyond the appointments.

The appointments were procedural votes taken by voice; no roll-call tally was recorded in the transcript. The board scheduled its next regular meeting for Jan. 8 at 10 a.m.