Mr. Saquella, 66, served as President of the Maryland Retailers Association for 25 years before retiring in July, 2010.  MRA, consisting of members at some 1400 locations in Maryland, is the retail community’s major statewide trade association in Maryland.

In addition to overseeing the administration of a variety of membership service programs and public relations and media activities, Mr. Saquella served as the chief spokesman and representative for the retail industry before state government.

Prior to joining MRA, Mr. Saquella served for over 11 years as the Executive Assistant and Chief of Staff to the Maryland Secretary of Economic and Community Development where he developed many of Maryland’s economic development and housing programs.  In all, Mr. Saquella worked with the Maryland General Assembly for 37 sessions before his retirement in 2010, and he has served on a number of government boards and commissions.

Mr. Saquella was a recognized leader in the Maryland business community.  He sat on numerous business and industry committees including: Board of Directors of the Better Business Bureau, former co-chair and member of the Legislative Committee (25 years) and various issue committees of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce, Chair and member of the Advisory Council of the Maryland Business for Responsive Government (24 years), and the Small Employer Legislative Coordinating Council.  He also participated in numerous business legislative coalitions including Co-Chair of the Alliance for Customer Choice for Electric Supply and Services (ACCESS) that in 1999 successfully pushed for electric restructuring in Maryland.

He served on the boards of Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake (and chaired Goodwill’s Public Policy Committee), Maryland Council of Economic Education, Maryland Coalition for Financial Literacy, Queen Anne’s County Economic Development Commission, and he chaired the United Way of Central Maryland’s Legislative Committee.

Mr. Saquella received his B.A. Degree in government from LaSalle University in Philadelphia and a Master's Degree from George Washington University.  He was a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army and served in Vietnam.  He resides in Queen Anne’s County.