His father, a mechanical engineer, began his career designing conveyor systems before joining the Boeing Company.

The family lived in several different cities, including Seattle and Philadelphia where Allen attended Nether Providence High School.

[5] In 1992, Alley moved to Oregon to work for InFocus, a manufacturer of mobile business display hardware, where he served as vice president of corporate development, engineering, and marketing.

[6] In February 2002, Alley accepted a Presidential appointment from President George W. Bush to sit on the U.S.-Japan Private Sector/Government Commission, which strove to promote sustainable economic growth in both countries.

[10] After stepping down as CEO of Pixelworks Inc. in 2007, Alley was hired to serve as a deputy chief of staff for Democratic Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski.

Included in Alley's policy portfolio was economic development, technology, transportation, workforce training and energy.

[18][19] On August 28, 2012, at the 2012 Republican National Convention, Alley reported the Oregon delegation's votes as 4 for Ron Paul, 1 for Rick Santorum, and 23 for Mitt Romney.