Valerie Alford earned a B.F.A. from Syracuse University and an M.F.A. in 1981 from the University of California, Davis. Alford studied at UC Davis during a period when the art department continued to foster the experimental approaches to painting, sculpture and interdisciplinary practice established by its influential faculty and earlier generations of students. Alford pursued a career that extended beyond the studio into sales, marketing and the home and hospitality design industries. She later settled in Denver, Colorado, where she became a real estate professional and remained active in her local community.