Tony Allen

Tony Allen is Chief Executive Officer of the nation’s most diverse contemporary HBCU: Delaware State University. A comprehensive research institution with a $140 million budget and a $27 million research portfolio, the 1890 Land-Grant institution is home to four academic colleges serving 6,200+ undergraduates, with graduate and adult programs across Delaware and in 23 countries.Tony started his career as speechwriter for then-United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. In 2020, he was named Chief Executive Officer of the 59th Presidential Inaugural after having served on the President-elect’s Transition Team Advisory Board. In 2021, he was appointed as Chair to the President’s Board of Advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, a role in which he continues to serve.Founding President of the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League, Cofounder of Public Allies Delaware, Chair Emeritus of the National Urban Fellows, a Distinguished Fellow with the National Academy of Public Administration, a member of the Economic and Community Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, Tony also serves on the Boards of Graham and Pepco Holdings.Tony holds a B.A. in Political Science and a Ph.D. in Urban Affairs & Public Policy from the University of Delaware as well as a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College (City University of New York). He is the proud husband of Ms. Tara Allen and father of four fantastic children.