Fort Bend County officials are working to better engage with diverse communities after County Judge KP George announced the formation of the Fort Bend County Community Engagement Committee in a Nov. 30 press release.

”This Community Engagement Committee is the next step in building partnerships throughout the county with a group of engaged citizens helping to move us all forward,” George said.

According to the release, the group met for the first time Nov. 29 to discuss a possible implementation of a community engagement plan. The committee’s 18 members consist of Farha Ahmad, Geetha Ravula, Gaurav Jhaveri, Maryum Khan, Terri Wang, William Starkweather, Manuela Arroyos, Haad Qamar, Ilene Harper, Charles Odion, John Kelly, Allen Bogard, Sonya Stevenson, Gretchen Odion, Lupe Uresti Cabello, Ranjit Pillai, Natalia Alanis and Marissa Ramirez.

The committee’s main goal will be developing initiatives and strategies to help better engage with diverse communities within Fort Bend County, per the release.

Fort Bend County is considered one of the most diverse communities in the U.S. with 20.9% of the county population consisting of Asian residents, according to 2020 U.S. census data. Additionally, 21.3% of the population was African American, and 24.9% of the county identified as Hispanic or Latino.

"I am extremely encouraged with the new committee appointees, their diverse backgrounds and communities they represent,” George said.