Allen Darrah
Allen recently was promoted to chief information officer for Spencer Fane LLP. A seasoned technology executive, Allen merges technical acumen and business strategy, specializing in organizational development, cybersecurity, and technology risk management. His understanding of technology's interplay with the legal sphere sets him apart as an expert in the field.
During college, Allen ran a technology consultancy before a pivot to healthcare, where he worked in IT operations and internal audit for a decade at a prominent hospital group and laboratory. In 2015, Allen stepped into the role of IT director at Spencer Fane LLP, one of the nation's fastest-growing law firms, where he is now chief information officer.
A lifelong learner, Allen was originally a philosophy and pre-law student before obtaining a B.S. in business administration, emphasizing economics. In 2020, he bolstered his leadership credentials by graduating from Columbia University in the City of New York's prestigious Executive Technology Management Program with a M.S. in technology management and a focus in technology risk. Allen is a Qualified Technology Expert (QTE) and serves on the board of advisors for executive technology groups. He is a member of the CIO Executive Council and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's InfraGard.
Allen has presented at the International Legal Technology Association on "How to Build a Cyber Program from Scratch" and contributed to the Wall Street Journal's CIO Journal and CSO Magazine's Future of Cybersecurity Conference.
Allen now teaches future technology executives a technology and the law course at Columbia. Allen was recently accepted to the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business Executive Development Program for 2024.