Alan Bowser was born in New York City and grew up in East Orange in Essex County, New Jersey.
He attended public schools in East Orange and Orange, New Jersey.
In high school, Alan was appointed to the New Jersey State Arts Council and the New Jersey Elementary and Secondary Education Advisory Council as a student member.
He is the proud son of Bernice and Lucius Bowser.
Alan Bowser is a graduate of Princeton University's School of Public and International Affairs, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in public and international affairs.
He is a graduate of the Johns Hopkins University where he received a Master of Arts degree in International Relations and International Economics.
He is a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center where he received a Juris Doctor (JD) degree in law.
After graduation from Johns Hopkins, Alan served in the US Treasury as an economist and subsequently in the Executive Office of the President as staff member of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger. He subsequent held positiions at the US Department of Agriculture, the US House of Representatives, the US Department of Transportation and the US Department of Veterans Affairs.
After professional work at the World Bank Group, he was appointed a member of the Senior Executive Service of the United States and served as U.S. Deputy Assistant of Commerce for Basic Industries in the International Trade Administration, representing the President of the United States and the Secretary of Commerce in China, Russia, India, Mexico, Khazakstan, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia.
In Montgomery County, Alan has served as Chief of Staff to Montgomery Council Member at Large Duchy Trachtenberg and to Maryland State Delegate Pamela Queen.
He has been an attorney in private practice in Montgmery County for over twenty five years.
Alan Bowser is a life-long Democrat, having served as a Democratic Precinct Chair in Silver Spring for many years. He has served as an advisor to former Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, as well as to current Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich as a member of the County Executive's African American Advisory Group. He also served as a member of the Silver Spring Citizens Advisory Board and the Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services Advisory Committee.
His lifetime of service includes serving as President and Board member of many community-serving organizations such as Conservation Montgomery, Safe Silver Spring, the After School Dance Fund, the Sligo Creek Golf Association, Committee for Montgomery, the Montgomery County Civic Federation, and the Sons of the American Legion. He is a member of the Executive Committee of the Greater Silver Spring Democratic Club.
A past President of Silver Spring Town Center, Inc., he is the founder of the Silver Spring Blues Festival and the Montgomery County Tribute to America's Veterans Concert.