Allen's public service began as a high school student registering voters. Later, he served on the Town of Chapel Hill's Grievance Hearing Board. He also supported the Historic Rogers Road Task Force with research on extraterritorial jurisdiction as a means through which the Town could do its part in providing sewer services to the Rogers Road community. From 2015 to 2017, he served on the Executive Board of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro branch of the NAACP, as the Legal Redress Chair.
In 2016, Allen served as the Policy and Field Director on Josh Stein's successful campaign for Attorney General. He has also worked in North Carolina's Department of Justice as an attorney, providing support for the Attorney General's initiatives addressing the opioid abuse crisis. He practiced law at the UNC Center for Civil Rights, advocating for excluded communities in environmental justice and public education. He later became the Center's Deputy Director.
During his time with the Center, he was elected to the Chapel Hill Town Council. While on the Town Council, he has worked with his colleagues to pass innovative, equity-centered policies, such as the first municipal Criminal Justice Debt Program, the Resolution on Reimagining Community Safety and COVID relief and assistance for some of our most vulnerable residents in our community. He has also been intentional in creating opportunities for others through the Training for Action and Progress (TAP) program. This program is geared toward civically engaging young people and people of color and developing a pipeline to town advisory boards and to elected office.
His leadership has been widely recognized as he was named one of Chapel Hill Magazine's Top Influencers of 2018. Governor Roy Cooper appointed him to the Local Government Retirement System Board of Trustees, and he has served on this Board since 2018. He has also served on the State Advisory Board of Common Cause.
Outside of work, Allen loves spending time with his wife Sarah, his three children, and their dog and cat.