Lower Providence woman appointed to 21-member Montco Commission for Women

(The following information was provided by the Montgomery County Office of Communications.)

Today the Montgomery County Commissioners announced 21 new appointees to the County’s Commission for Women, including Rebecca Catagnus, of Lower Providence Township.

These appointees will serve on the Commission for two years and will meet several times a year to advise the County on initiatives to promote opportunities for women, reduce gender inequality and discrimination, and to collaborate with Montgomery County organizations and institutions.

The appointees were selected from over 200 people who had expressed interest in the Commission since the County put out a call for applications in March 2024. Applications came from 37 of the County’s municipalities, plus surrounding counties.

“It is heartening to see interest from across the whole County in the work that the Commission for Women will undertake,” said Jamila H. Winder, chair of the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners. “I’m proud to say that this Commission is representative of the diversity of Montgomery County, geographically, demographically, and professionally. The Commission will convene to further our mission of empowering women and girls in the County by recommending policies and promoting programs that can reduce discrimination and bias and exploring avenues to uplift women and girls in all fields. Congratulations to our appointees, and I look forward to seeing the results of collaborations and interactions with the Commission.”

The Commission will serve three main functions. One is to seek and increase County collaboration with outside stakeholders, different levels of government, and organizations focused on improving the lives of women in the County. The Commission will also be charged with recommending policies and initiatives, as well as advising the Board of Commissioners and the County’s Chief DEI Officer on issues relating to gender and wage equality, discrimination and bias, eliminating violence against women, and promoting opportunities in entrepreneurship, education and more.

“I look forward to having the Commission for Women advise on areas of policy where we can make a difference for women, both in terms of building on some of the things we’ve done – whether it’s paid leave or childcare – and other issues that disproportionately impact women and can help support women in the workplace,” said Montgomery County Commissioner Neil Makhija. “I also look forward to thinking about how we take an initiative like paid leave and bring that to other employers in Montgomery County to encourage them to enact policies that would support women in their workplaces. So we’re thinking not only what can the County do but what can we do across the County.”

The new members appointed to the Commission for Women are:

1. Iman Ahmad, Norristown Borough

2. Dr. Bernadine Ahonkai, Lower Gwynedd Township

3. Saba Al-Zaid, Bridgeport Borough

4. Nancy Becker, Whitemarsh Township

5. Marquita Bolden, Abington Township

6. Melissa (Missy) Boyd, Franconia Township

7. Wanda Brown, Pottstown Borough

8. Rebecca Catagnus, Lower Providence Township

9. Donna Chen, East Norriton Township

10. Zoraida Cordero, Cheltenham Township

11. Lisa Dent, Lower Merion Township

12. Nelly Jimenez-Arevalo, West Goshen Township

13. Dr. Paulette Jones, Plymouth Meeting

14. Jennifer Kabir, Whitpain Township

15. Shareese Nelson, Cheltenham Township

16. Melissa Osborne, Upper Moreland Township

17. Michelle Ross, Conshohocken Borough

18. Anika Sangal, Lower Gwynedd Township

19. Sandy Sharma, Douglass Township

20. Nicole Werner, Upper Gwynedd Township

21. Winnie Yin, Whitpain Township

Plus additional associate members:

1. Marisa Christie

2. Carla Clanagan

3. Ashley Faison

4. Anne Frank

5. Beverly Gordon

6. Linda Morales

7. Sujatha Kurian

8. Victoria Tucker

For more on the Montgomery County Commission for Women visit www.montgomerycountypa.gov/CommissionforWomen