Tony Allen (academic administrator) facts for kids

Tony Allen is an American leader in education. He has been the president of Delaware State University since 2020.

Early Life and Schooling

Tony Allen was born and moved to Delaware when he was three years old. He studied political science at the University of Delaware.

In 1991, when he was a student, he joined about 200 other students in a peaceful protest called a sit-in. They sat together in a building to show their strong feelings about an issue.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1993. He also received a Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware. Later, he earned a Master of Public Administration from Baruch College in New York City.

Career Highlights

After finishing college, Tony Allen worked to help communities. He joined an organization called Public Allies in Wilmington in 1994. A year later, he became its executive director. He was only 25 years old at the time.

In 1996, he became the first "national urban fellow" from Delaware. This program helps train future leaders. During this time, he worked at the William Penn Foundation. He also took more classes at Baruch College.

Tony Allen also helped improve public education in Delaware schools.

He worked as a managing director at the Bank of America. He also helped start a non-profit group called the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League.

In July 2017, Tony Allen became a top leader at Delaware State University. He was the provost and executive vice president. In 2020, he became the president of the university.

In 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden chose him for an important role. Tony Allen became the chair of the President's Board of Advisors on historically black colleges and universities. These are special colleges that were created to educate Black students.

Family Life

Tony Allen has four children with his partner, Tara Anderson. She was his high school sweetheart.