Tony Mason

Anthony (Tony) R. Mason
President & CEO

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 Program designation and successfully hosted the 2019 National Urban League Annual Conference which featured President-elect, Joe Biden and Vice President-elect, Kamala Harris. He also was a part of the formative discussions and creation of the Indy Rents Program, the Business Equity for Indy Initiative, and the Corporate and Community Partners for Racial Equity now known as INSPIRE. Additionally in 2020, he helped the National Urban League secure a $100 million grant from the Lilly Endowment to support the Indianapolis Urban League and African American Coalition of Indianapolis’ collaboration on the Indianapolis African American Quality of Life Initiative. 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 at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Youth Sports Coordinator), the Amateur Athletic Union (National Team Sports Director), Indiana Black Expo (Director of Family & Youth Programs), Miami of Ohio (Assistant Director, Office of Recreational Sports), and Wichita State University (Assistant Director, Office of Campus Recreation).

Tony has received numerous 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 Association’s Images of Excellence Award, the Freetown Village Living History Museum Citizenship Certificate, the NAACP Outstanding Achievement Award, the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Top 250 Most Influential Business Leaders in Indiana recognition, and the State of Indiana’s highest civilian honor, The Sagamore of the Wabash Award.

Tony is a board of directors member for Ascend Indiana, and he serves on advisory, management and steering committees with the United Way of Central Indiana, the Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee and 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, the Indy Inclusive Growth Collaborative, the Civic Leadership Alliance and the Business Equity for Indy Initiative.

Tony earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. He also received an Honorary Doctorate in Public Service from Marian University. 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 a 30-year career. They have two adult sons, Miles and John Michael.