Allen is the Director of Academics of Secondary Science, Technology and Engineering at KIPP Massachusetts. Prior to his role as a director, he was a science/engineering teacher, instructional coach, and science department chair at KIPP Academy Lynn Collegiate (KALC) for eight years. Allen received his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Cornell University in 2013, his Master of Science in Chemistry from University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2015, and his Masters of Education in Curriculum and Teaching from Boston University in 2018.

Creating student-centered classrooms and disrupting inequalities in systems are core beliefs that are central to Allen’s vision in education. He truly believes his students do have the creativity, the skills, the knowledge, the wisdom and the passion to achieve greatness because he sees the genius in them every single day. Allen has received numerous awards for teaching including the 2021 Harriett Ball Excellence in Teaching Award, 2021 PLTW Massachusetts Standout Teacher of the Year Award, and is a state finalist for the 2023 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.

Under his leadership, Allen has written grants and received almost $10,000 to bolster digital literacy, democratize student access to technology, and fund innovative projects in engineering. HIs engineering students have also been named a State Finalist twice in the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow competition, receiving over $20,000 in technology and classroom supplies. Allen lives with his wife and enjoys reading non-fiction books, playing tennis, and working on being more efficient with meal prepping in his spare time.