Baruch College alumnus Tony Allen was appointed by U.S. President Joe Biden to chair his board of advisors on Historically Black Colleges and Universities, also known as HBCUs.

The board Allen now leads will push forward the HBCU initiative, which was established by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter’s administration. The initiative focuses on supporting HBCUs to provide the best high-quality education to their students.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have supported the HBCU mission by committing more than $4 billion in support through the American Rescue Plan and debt forgiveness, according to a White House statement.

“The Federal Government must promote a variety of modern solutions for HBCUs, recognizing that HBCUs are not a monolith, and that the opportunities and challenges relevant to HBCUs are as diverse as the institutions themselves and the communities they serve,” Biden wrote.

Being in a leadership role is not new for Allen.

He became the president of Delaware State University in Jan. 2020 after serving as provost and executive vice president since July 2017.

“With a clear mission to increase educational access and opportunity for all, the University is among the most consequential institutions in the nation, serving 5,000 students in the United States and, via international partnerships, in 23 countries worldwide,” Delaware State University’s website said.

Allen’s background is primarily surrounded by private and nonprofit sectors.

From 2014 to 2019, he guided the Delaware K-12 public education reform effort and co-founded the Metropolitan Wilmington Urban League and Public Allies Delaware.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, his team at Delaware State University accomplished many goals for the student body’s success.

This year, the university was third place in HBCU rankings by the U.S. News & World Report, according to Delaware State University.

“The university’s ‘Together’ COVID-19 plan has been touted as a national example of campus safety strategy, and a year into the pandemic enrollment has shattered all previous records,” the White House statement said.

Currently, Allen serves on the boards of the Economic and Community Advisory Council for the Philadelphia Federal Reserve and Pepco Holdings.

Allen has been awarded multiple prestigious awards throughout his career. He received the Whitney M. Young Award for Advancing Racial Equality, which is the National Urban League’s highest honor.

He was also awarded the Excellence in Education Award, given by the Delaware Barristers Association, as well as Lifetime Achievement awards from the National Urban Fellows and Public Allies.

Allen holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science, a Ph.D. in urban affairs and public policy from the University of Delaware and a master’s degree in public administration from Baruch.