Policy and Government Affairs Officer
As Policy and Government Affairs Officer, John Dukich leads the mayor’s policy efforts across a range of priorities. John advises the mayor on legislative strategy and intergovernmental relations, coordinates cross-departmental policy initiatives, and represents the City in engagements with local, state, and federal partners, including with elected and appointed officials and the business community.
Prior to joining the City of Duluth, John was the Legislative Affairs Manager at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), where he led the agency’s legislative engagement with the Minnesota Legislature and Governor’s Office, advancing MnDOT’s policy priorities through strategic advocacy, internal coordination, and cross-agency collaboration. John supported staff across the agency in preparing testimony, communications, and briefings for public and legislative audiences. He also designed and delivered training on legislative processes and politics for MnDOT’s leadership development program
Earlier in his career, John was the Director of Public Policy & Research at the Minnesota High Tech Association, leading the association’s advocacy and research efforts to advance policy priorities in support of Minnesota’s innovation economy. There he focused on broadband policy and funding, workforce development, tax incentives, and early-stage capital access, translating industry needs into actionable policy proposals and strategic investments. During this time, John also staffed the Chair of Governor Dayton’s Task Force on Broadband, balancing diverse stakeholder interests to inform broadband policy and investment recommendations to the governor and legislature.
John earned his M.A. in History and Philosophy of Science from the University of Leeds in England and attended the University of Minnesota as an undergraduate, earning a B.A. in Philosophy and B.S. in Statistics. He has been published in the journal Applied Financial Economics and the philosophy of science journal Synthese.
John currently serves on the board of directors at Downtown Duluth and is a coach with the 3D Robotics Duluth program. He lives in the Observation Hill neighborhood with his wife and three kids.
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