[4] Alexei was born on February 24, 1965, as John Trader in Dover, Delaware.
He attended Franklin & Marshall College and the University of Chicago where he obtained a bachelor's degree in chemistry and a masters in religion, respectively.
He also obtained a masters of divinity at Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary and a doctorate in patristic studies and psychology from the University of Thessaloniki.
[4][6] In 1990, Alexei joined Saint Tikhon's Orthodox Monastery as a rasophore, where he also taught courses.
[6] In 2018, Alexei was called back from Greece on invitation from Metropolitan Tikhon in order to serve as bishop.