Secretary of State of Delaware Charuni Patibanda-Sanchez handed over the Governor’s proclamation recognizing the festival of Holi to Consul General Binaya Srikanta Pradhan March 11, 2026.
Consul General Pradhan conveyed sincere thanks to her and Governor Matt Meyer for honoring Indian traditions.
Secretary Patibanda-Sanchez has been Delaware’s Secretary of State since her swearin-in January 28, 2025. She is the third woman and the first person of color to hold the position in the State of Delaware.
As Secretary of State, Patibanda-Sanchez leads the most diverse department with responsibilities in virtually every aspect of Delaware state government, her official website says. The Secretary serves on the Board of Pardons, the Cash Management Policy Board, the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC), and the Port of Wilmington.
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Patibanda-Sanchez was previously General Manager of the New Castle County Department of Land Use. In that role, she oversaw the Department’s Development Services, Licensing, Inspections, and Code Enforcement divisions. She also shaped the legislative priorities of the Department with an emphasis on the creation of affordable housing and redevelopment along New Castle County’s corridors. She also shaped the Department’s policy priorities and community engagement efforts, her official biography says.
She also previously served as Economic Development Director for New Castle County and created several small business initiatives using the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) federal funding and wrote and won a grant from the Economic Development Administration. She was instrumental in negotiating New Castle County’s first-ever Pay for Success contract to expand home visiting to first-time mothers.
Before returning home to Delaware, Pratibanda-Sanchez was an attorney in Los Angeles and co-founded The McOsker Group, where she developed political strategies for a variety of hospitality, media, outdoor advertising, healthcare, and development clients. She also served in associate attorney roles with Sheppard Mullin and Glaser Weil, both in Los Angeles, where she focused on land use, government contracts, and regulatory matters in the region as well as pro bono casework. She advocated for a broad range of economic development projects for her clients and worked closely with local elected officials and staff to shape municipal ordinances and public policy issues, including home-sharing, police reform, and other measures affecting the business and workforce environments.
Born and raised in Delaware, Pratibanda-Sanchez is a graduate of Tower Hill School and the Red Clay public schools. She holds a law degree from Emory University and BA/MA degrees in Economics from the University of Southern California. She currently lives in Pike Creek, where she grew up, and is married to her husband Marcos.