Tony Mason
2021 State of Black America
Tony Mason
Tony Mason is a visionary leader with a passion for service. He has dedicated the majority of his career to initiatives designed to enhance the quality of life for Indianapolis residents.
During his tenure as the President & CEO of the Indianapolis Urban League, the IUL has become a Center for Working Families, expanded the Project Ready College and Career Readiness Program, increased health and wellness services, established an agency endowment fund, supported the engagement of young professionals in leadership and service through The Exchange at IUL, secured a National Urban League Entrepreneurship Center designation and successfully hosted the 2019 National Urban League Annual Conference which featured President-elect, Joe Biden and Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris. The Indianapolis Urban League has been acknowledged and recognized for its initiatives and impact by the National Urban League, the United Way of Central Indiana and the Indianapolis Recorder’s Minority Business Magazine.
Prior to his tenure with the IUL, Tony served as the Senior Vice President of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee, and was responsible for providing administrative oversight and staff support for the Near Eastside Legacy Project and various community outreach efforts ranging from neighborhood redevelopment to educational programs to environmental initiatives to cultural arts projects to human impact initiatives. Over 200,000 Indiana residents, young and old participated in various Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee and NFL initiatives.
Before joining the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee staff, Tony served as the Executive Director of the Circle City Classic for eight years building upon the Classic’s tradition of staging one of the nation’s largest, Black college football events. Under his leadership, the annual Classic weekend consistently attracted over 100,000 attendees annually generating an estimated economic impact of nearly $15 million for the city of Indianapolis. Additionally, the Classic awarded nearly $100,000 annually in scholarships through the Circle City Classic Scholarship Program and supported Indianapolis Black Alumni Council’s Annual Fair which generated over $2mil annually in educational assistance to Indy area students through its partnerships with HBCUs.
Earlier in his career, Tony held management and leadership positions with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), Indiana Black Expo, Miami of Ohio University, and Wichita State University.
Tony has received several awards including the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Forty under 40 Award, the Center for Leadership Development’s Achievement in Business Award, the Indiana Sports Corporation’s Pathfinder - Rev. Charles Williams Award, McDonald’s Black History Maker of Today Award, the Black Coaches and Administrators’ Images of Excellence Award, Freetown Village’s Living History Museum’s Citizenship Certificate, and the NAACP Outstanding Achievement Award.
Currently, Tony is a member of the Indianapolis Neighborhood Housing Partnership’s Board of Directors and he serves on steering or advisory committees with the United Way of Central Indiana, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, the Race and Cultural Relations Leadership Network, the African American Coalition of Indianapolis, Regions Bank Community Development Corporation, the Indiana Sports Corporation, the Corporate and Community Partnership for Racial Equity and the Business Equity for Indy Initiative.
Tony earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. His wife, Joy Mason, earned degrees from Miami of Ohio and Butler University and has become a successful business owner, author and artist since retiring from Eli Lilly & Company after 30 year career.