Emanuel was born and raised in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He earned his undergraduate degree in political science from Stockton University. After graduating, he moved to Washington, D.C., where he spent ten years working at several nonprofit organizations to inform and advance a range of federal policies to help low- and moderate-income communities – particularly communities of color – achieve long-term economic prosperity. Currently, Emanuel serves as the Director of Policy at Liberation in a Generation, where he leads the organization’s efforts to advance policies that can create an economy where all people of color can thrive. Before starting at Liberation in a Generation, Emanuel was an Associate Director of Policy at Prosperity Now, where he led Prosperity Now’s work on understanding and addressing the racial wealth gap and predatory lending. Before joining Prosperity Now, Emanuel worked at the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, where he coordinated LISC’s local office advocacy efforts and provided support on an array of housing and community development federal issues. Emanuel is happily married to his high school sweetheart and enjoys spending time with friends and family in his free time.