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Michael Quaranta, the president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. | DBT PHOTO BY JIM COARSE/
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WILMINGTON — For the past 40 years, Michael Quaranta has spent his career between the private and public sector. He’s served on the staff of what would become the Department of Homeland Security, he’s managed operations for 30 states for a Fortune 500 company, lobbied with the Podesta Group and now is the president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.
In some ways, the resume can be a bit of a surprise from a guy from Chicago who dreamed of going into small-town politics. More precisely: serving as city administrator.
“I thought I liked politics, but I really liked the side of things that got things done,” Quaranta said. “That changed when I went to D.C. for an internship with [U.S. Sen. David Durenberger (R-Minn.)] in 1980. After that, no matter what, I thought I was always going to work in D.C.”
That internship set the path for Quartana, who graduated from the University of Minnesota. Among all the other “Midwestern nice guys” that served the senator, Quaranata still had “a little Chicago edginess,” in his words. He returned the next winter to serve on the senator’s re-election campaign, and after victory was secured, Quaranta was assigned as a staff aide to the Intergovernmental Relations Subcommittee of the Committee on Governmental Affairs — later reorganized as Homeland Security after 9/11.
“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was very fortunate because of the interplay between federal, state, local and special government entities,” he said. “It’s a big government and it’s a big world
. Every day you could learn so many things, and I sucked it up like a sponge.”
After serving on Capitol Hill for years, he went on to serve as a consultant for the nonprofit Financial Executives International for three years until Durenberger asked him to come back and parlay his growing knowledge to serve as his banking securities and insurance policy lead. After a few years there, Quaranta went back to the private sector, this time with TRW Inc. The company was known for its work in space defense — that asset was eventually acquired by defense contractor giant Northrop Grumman — and credit reporting business, which spun out to Experian.
Quaranta was tasked with leading the credit reporting business out of the D.C. office, where he managed operations in 30 state capitals for 14 years. He “maxed out” there, and took a pay cut to serve as chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.) between 2003 and 2010. After his tenure with Castle, he lobbied with the Podesta Group and Cogent Strategies.
“There’s always a revolving door of issues, no matter if you’re in the public or private sector,” he said. “And I think what I learned through it all has become my mantra: If we’re all doing the same thing, we’re all doing the wrong thing.
We’re all interconnected, but everyone has a role.”
His connection to Delaware through working with Castle helped gain the attention of Delaware leaders, particularly those who were looking for a new successor for Rich Heffron, who retired from the DSCC in 2018. Quaranta accepted the job, and was tasked with modernizing the chamber.
“I was asked to start providing a strategic vision and getting more members engaged when I was brought on,” he said. “I also wanted to be intentional about getting around the state and not at my desk. We were going to be a statewide association, not 15 minutes from the office.”
So under the first years of his tenure, Quaranta and the DSCC team ramped up their social media presence, while doubling down on the Delaware Business magazine, at the time one of the only sources of business news in the state. Social media posts, showing the president of the statewide chamber with Kent and Sussex business leaders, helped shine a light on all Delaware businesses, not just in New Castle County.
In a small state that sometimes hinges on “The Delaware Way,’ Quaranta stepped in with a philosophy that being moderate was a temperament, and not an ideology.
“There’s this quote, ‘We’re all entitled to our opinion, we are not entitled to our own set of facts.’ If you can start by seeing the problem, and we all agree what it is, that’s the first big piece in this,” he said. “We all want to be included in a discussion. Sometimes it requires a lot of digging around for independently validated information. But if you start with, how to get people nodding yes, that’s where to go.’”
One prime example he pointed to was the Healthy Delaware Families Act, which established family and medical leave for workers starting in 2026. From his membership’s point of view, there were medium and small businesses that had challenges with coverage and terminology. But after hours of conversation with the bill’s sponsor Sen. Sarah McBride, and other state and business leaders, Quaranta said all parties were willing to sift through the facts and access details.
“The politics of this state have changed. I know for some newly elected officials, the “Delaware Way” has a pejorative meaning. But it just means there’s a lot of voices, and our elected officials want us to at least have a say and see if we can find a solution that works for the greater good.”
