Mrs. Tonya Allen is President and CEO of the Skillman Foundation, a private, independent foundation whose mission is to improve lives of children in Southeast Michigan. Mrs. Allen’s work consists of managing and aligning the complexities of education reform, neighborhood development, economic development, urban revitalization and public policy so that these various approaches improve the well-being of children.

Mrs. Tonya Allen is President and CEO of the Skillman Foundation, a private, independent foundation whose mission is to improve lives of children in Southeast Michigan. Mrs. Allen’s work consists of managing and aligning the complexities of education reform, neighborhood development, economic development, urban revitalization and public policy so that these various approaches improve the well-being of children.

Prior to her work at the Skillman Foundation, Allen served as the founding director of Detroit Parent Network, a parent membership organization dedicated to improving educational options for children; program officer for both the C.S. Mott and Thompson-McCully Foundations, with special emphasis on education, workforce development and poverty alleviation; and the director of the Annie E. Casey’s Rebuilding Communities work in Detroit. Allen is active in the philanthropic, civic and nonprofit fields, and provides leadership to several sector-specific initiatives both in Detroit and across the United States.

Allen completed her Masters in Public Health and Masters in Social Work from the University of Michigan.