Tony Allen

Tony Allen is the chief executive officer of the United States’ most diverse contemporary Historically Black College and University (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 more than 6,200 undergraduates, with graduate and adult programs across Delaware and in 23 countries.

Allen started his career as a speechwriter for then-U.S. Senator and now U.S. President Joseph R. Biden Jr. In 2020, he was named chief executive officer of the 59th Presidential Inaugural Ceremonies 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.

Allen is also 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, and a board member for both Graham and Pepco Holdings.

Allen holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and a PhD in urban affairs and 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 Tara Allen and the father of four fantastic children.