Tony Malzone | Advocate & Emerging Scholar of Human Development

HEY!

Let's connect.

To lead and prepare

individuals and organizations

to challenge conventional thinking,

to bridge the gap within their communities,

to build a future we all can enjoy.

SOCIALLY DESIGNED

HUMAN EMPOWERED

MEET
TONY

Tony is an Advocate & Emerging Scholar of Human Development. He’s defined his career as a mission to research, develop, and advocate for human development while working towards a vision for a socially designed, human empowered world. Human development is the study and practice of expanding realized opportunities and improving well-being both in the historical context and in present-day society. Tony focuses on the lenses of education, urban design, and social policy. Using a creative process known as social design, to explore and develop the ways in which individuals and social institutions interface, to help solve institutionalized problems. Tony approaches human development by studying the history of humanity and civilization. Observing its progress through modern society. And then uses those perspectives to collaborate with governments, NGOs, media organizations, social movements, and other interest groups to direct, advise, and contribute to policy, research, programs, exhibitions, productions, and other impactful initiatives that further the mission.

LEADERSHIP & ADVISORY POSITIONS TONY HOLDS:

Tony Malzone for Human Development

- Founder

United Nations

- Advocacy Member on Human Rights Affinity Forum, Association of the United States

Chicanos Por La Causa

- Advisor on CDFI Programs:

Maricopa County Resiliency Program

City of Mesa HUUB Program

U.S. Small Business Administration PRIME Program

Social Enterprise Incubator Program

New Way Academy

- Executive Director of the Alumni Association

Studio Soni

- Co-Executive Director | Leading Social Design

Academia.edu

- Interdisciplinary Contributor

TONY MALZONE

FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

Tony Malzone for Human Development is the personal think tank of advocate & scholar Tony Malzone. The think tank is united in a mission to research, develop, and advocate for human development while working towards a vision for a socially designed, human empowered world. Human development is the study and practice of expanding realized opportunities and improving well-being both in the historical context and in present-day society. The think tank focuses on the lenses of education, urban design, and social policy. Using a creative process known as social design, to explore and develop the ways in which individuals and social institutions interface, to help solve institutionalized problems. The think tank approaches human development by studying the history of humanity and civilization. Observing its progress through modern society. And then uses those perspectives to collaborate with governments, NGOs, media organizations, social movements, and other interest groups to direct, advise, and contribute to policy, research, programs, exhibitions, productions, and other impactful initiatives that further the mission.

THINK TANK PLATFORM

It really felt like he has been working with us for years and knew exactly what we needed.

NEW COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION
SAN FRANCISCO

When Tony has a vision - he wastes no time developing and implementing it. He has been instrumental in reenergizing the Alumni Association at New Way Academy, and is incredibly quick and receptive to feedback, collaboration, and long term goals for both marketing and alumni relations. His fresh perspective and big picture ideas are just what is needed to bring the Alumni Association of a 55 year private school to the next level; the amount of detail, positivity, and persistence he brings to the table is unmatched!

- Laura Murray,

Director of Marketing and Communications at New Way Academy

Tony talks less, listens more, and when the time comes, he knows how to lead change and development. He creates clarity and energy. His energy for whatever he is teaching captivates. He has a unique ability to make some of the most complex ideas seem rather simple. If you’ve worked with him, you’ve seen Tony’s ability to bring teams together, make others feel heard, and most importantly, you’ve seen he knows how to get things done. He turns ideas into policy, strategy, and action. And he does it all with a very inspiring optimism.

- Jay Soni,

Founding Partner and Creative Director at Studio Soni

THE INSPIRATION

Behind My Work

I grew up in the south suburbs of Chicago. If you are familiar with the area, you know it's a far cry from its north suburb counterparts. The south suburbs are the majority working class, diverse, decaying side of the city. An array of abandoned and run-down mid-century shopping centers, factories, and neighborhoods. My dad is Italian, and my mom is first-generation Mexican. I’m MexItalian I like to say. I spent my high school years in Phoenix. Jumping back and forth between Chicago and El Paso, where the rest of my family was. Growing up, I always had trouble in school. Drowning by the number of students in a public school classroom, I quickly and quietly fell behind. Once high school came along, I would be thought of by most as a lost cause, a statistic, a troubled student. After being diagnosed with ADHD, I came to New Way Academy in my junior year, discouraged, defeated, and distant. I had given up on everything I had dreamt about as a little boy, and if there was anywhere I wanted to be, it indeed wasn't a classroom. But the culture and community of New Way prevailed, and so did my outlook. Here I felt what it feels like to find my passion, to learn to learn, to grow, and preserve. I never thought I'd stand there that day, cap and gown, at my own graduation. You see, I spent five years in high school. It wasn’t always easy saying that, but I learned it’s better to tell a story that can inspire than to keep one to yourself for your own pride. I entered high school as a young kid mad at the world, scared of the future, and yearning to be someone other than myself. I left high school as a young adult, in awe of the world, empowered by role models, and yearning to find the answers to what happened here. During my transition and towards the end of high school, I had straight A’s, presided over the math club, won awards like the most improved student of the year, and most importantly, if there was anywhere I wanted to be, it was now a classroom, with conviction. As I thought about the problems I faced in school, I thought it was the teaching approach. It was in part, but as I dug deeper, I realized those problems also ran much deeper. I asked questions, and I tried to start to peel back the layers of how my school experience came to be this way. Each layer bigger, more connected, embedded, and even institutionalized with the ways in which we organize society. I realized that these problems were not unique to me, they were unique to humanity, they are social problems, problems that exist because of society itself. Problems so big, so complex, we are entangled with them, and they are nearly impossible to solve without understanding the history of civilization, society, and systemic institutions that drive the development of our species. I realized over time, that if I want to make any sort of progress, real progress, I will need to research, develop, and advocate for human development with a vision for a socially designed human empowered world. This isn't for me, this is for the generations that come beyond my time. I’ll never forget the feeling of being discouraged, defeated, and distant. But because nobody gave up on me, I owe it to them to make sure nobody gives up on them. I am going to do everything I can to leave the world just a little bit better than how I found it, I promise.

THE VISION

For Human Development

In the olden days when we were hunters and gatherers, we endeared this horrendous struggle for survival. The transition to farming changed everything. The societies that developed agriculture became considerably more productive. As a result of that, we evolved and became hardwired to continue to grow and develop to have infinite needs. As a society, we became accumulators. This extraordinary work ethic that was instilled into us has brought us unbelievable benefits. We are now at a point in human history where we have an economy that is so productive, we’ve conquered scarcity, and in fact, created the opposite. More food goes into landfills than into our stomachs. We are living in an era of untold affluence and prosperity. Strangely, we continue to organize our economies as if we are farmers risking going hungry. The concern is that the very medicine that brought us this extraordinary prosperity has now made us sick. There is a growing need to design our world differently. To reorganize our societal institutions to truly drive human development. Human Development is the process of expanding people's access to opportunities and improving their well-being. It's about assuring that ordinary people have the resources to truly decide who they want to be, what to do, and how to live. Based on calculations of productivity, capital growth, and technological advancements, an economic utopia in which everybody’s basic needs are very easily met has been theoretically possible since 1980. By nature, we are a social and productive specifies. A world in which individuals are encouraged and empowered to do exactly what they wish to do would be much richer, much more productive, and would be able to focus on the things that actually matter to most people. We have the resources to redesign our world for modern needs. The question that remains is that if we already have the resources in the world for an economic utopia, how can we redistribute those resources to make that world a reality.