Allen Smith

Allen Smith has spent more than two decades building technology, communities, and the occasional strange career detour. He has worked in Developer Relations and open-source ecosystems at companies including GitHub, Automattic, Gatsby, and Umbraco, helping grow developer communities and adoption around open-source platforms used by millions.

Before DevRel, Allen led IT across an eclectic mix of environments—from nonprofits and manufacturing to running infrastructure for a major metropolitan crime laboratory. Even earlier, he worked in the film industry as a screenwriter and editor, taught gifted students through Duke University's Talent Identification Program, and once ran cameras for professional wrestling.

Allen has been writing code and using open-source software since 1998, when installing Linux meant downloading floppy disk images and hoping for the best. Today he works at the intersection of technology, community, and storytelling. He is also a licensed ham radio operator, a record producer, and a former congressional candidate.

In short, Allen is an unapologetic dabbler who believes the most interesting ideas happen where disciplines collide.