Marqueta Welton serves as Chief of Staff for the North Carolina Department of Commerce where she guides policy development and provides strategic leadership for economic development, and science and technology innovation.  She also oversees key agency operations.

Before joining the Department of Commerce, Marqueta served as Deputy Secretary for the North Carolina Department of Administration.  There she oversaw the state’s central procurement division and other internal support operations for state agencies. 

Prior to joining the State in 2017, Marqueta led economic development for Durham County Government as its Deputy County Manager and Economic Development Officer.  Marqueta was instrumental in negotiating development incentives for the Durham Innovation District and in getting Durham officials to approve $20M in infrastructure support for Phase One of Research Triangle Foundation’s Park Center project.  While at the county she championed over $1B in economic development which brought more than 1,000 new jobs.  Marqueta co-authored the Durham Joint Economic Development Strategic Plan as a guiding document for city-county business retention and recruitment, infrastructure investment, talent recruitment and development, and maintenance of a business-friendly environment.

Marqueta’s public service includes work as a deputy city attorney, HR director, and labor relations manager for the City of North Las Vegas.

Marqueta is a graduate of Wayne State University Business School and Wayne State University Law School.  She is a member of the North Carolina State Bar and is a North Carolina licensed Real Estate Broker.