Alex was raised in Maryland, the third of seven children.

She worked a wide variety of jobs in college, including cleaning nacho cheese off stadium seats, getting health insurance companies to pay patients’ bills, and helping patrons at a library government documents reference desk.

She’s worked in criminal (and, to a lesser extent, civil) law for nearly three decades. She’s volunteered in music, teaching, and administrative positions in her church. She has four children, all of whom were involved in performance choirs, plays, and musicals (causing her to step up and volunteer as an accompanist and assistant director in those productions).

She and her children live in central Missouri.