Emmanuel Petrov, he/him

Class of 2025Emmanuel Petrov

emmanuel.petrov@duke.edu
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Emmanuel “Manny” is a native of Raleigh, North Carolina, pursuing an MPP at the Duke Sanford School of Public Policy. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Santa Barbara (2023) with a B.A. in Political Science, a minor in Professional Writing (Business Communication concentration), and a professional certificate in Technology Management. While at UC, Santa Barbara, Manny was a delegate for the University’s Lobby Corp — clinching financial aid reform through new eligibility standards, making 71,000 new students eligible for state financial aid, while also securing $20 million in state funding for UC Student Academic Preparation & Educational Partnerships Programs. His honors thesis implemented an experimental design to examine the administrative burdens that stymie enrollment in Medicaid while testing the effect of digital nudges to improve enrollment intention and perceived application ease.

Experienced in program management and strategic government advisory services — whether it is cloud-based customer re-uptake solutions or empowering firms to achieve their operational and business-development needs through regulatory and legislative strategies — Manny applies a people-first approach to cross-sector innovation.

He currently serves in the Office of Performance & Innovation for the City of Durham’s Department of Budget & Management Services, where he is responsible for data analysis, stakeholder engagement, and innovative policy research for citywide performance measurement and management efforts. This includes innovation strategies, continuous improvement measures, and civic engagement practices that draw on insights from public-private partnerships to power local solutions and drive better results for residents.

As a former first-chair violinist, Manny is passionate about orchestral performance and music production. His time as a D1 soccer player with UC, Santa Barbara Men’s Soccer team has sustained his love for sports performance, psychology, and nutrition. In his free time, Manny enjoys spending quality time with family, viewing and discussing thought-provoking cinema, serving as a social media brand ambassador, and biking along the Triangle’s many greenways and trails.

Areas of Policy Interest: