A native of Arkansas and a mother of three grown children, Burkley Allen moved to Nashville in 1982. She received a bachelor's degree in physics from Davidson College and master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Virginia. Her career as a senior mechanical engineer includes working in energy systems, air pollution control, infrastructure planning and LEED certification for buildings.

Prior to her election to Metro Council representing District 18 in 2011, Burkley was a neighborhood activist for 35 years. She served 27 years on the Hillsboro-West End Neighborhood (HWEN) board, where she organized and facilitated the planting of over 3,000 trees and worked closely with neighbors and other local leaders on issues ranging from tree planting, parking and playground development to site-use planning, sidewalk installation and zoning. 

During her 12 year tenure on the Metro Council, from 2011-2023, and since her election to the Council At Large in 2023, Burkley has focused on both district and city-wide issues, including the development of parks, playgrounds and historic overlays, stormwater mitigation, careful monitoring of proposed developments, affordable housing, public transportation, and much more. She has served on the Council’s Public Works, Budget, Planning, Health, Parks, and Convention Committees and Metro Homelessness Commission, the Metro Planning Commission, the Metro Board of Ethics, the Chamber of Commerce’s Education Report Committee, the Solid Waste Master Plan Task Force, the Vision Zero Task Force, the Mayor’s Affordable Housing Task Force, and the Greenways Commission. She served as Chair of the Budget, Planning, Charter Revision, and Affordable Housing Committees, Acting Vice-Mayor, and as Speaker Pro Tem of the Council. She's been recognized multiple times for her tireless service, leadership and dedication.

As if all this was not enough, Burkley volunteers with several non-profits including Room in the Inn, the Martha O’Bryan Center and Habitat for Humanity, and has been a host mother for more than 24 international exchange students since 1993.