Judge Bethany J. Alvord was born in Boston, Massachusetts. She attended Colgate University, graduating cum laude in 1979, with a B.A. in International Relations. Judge Alvord then attended the University of Connecticut School of Law, where she received her Juris Doctor, with honors, in 1982.

Prior to becoming a judge, Judge Alvord served on the Town of Suffield Zoning Board of Appeals. She also served on the Town of Suffield Retirement Commission.

Following law school graduation, Judge Alvord was employed by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company as a Second Vice President and Associate General Counsel in its Law Department. Judge Alvord's career in qualified retirement benefit plan compliance then continued at Aetna, Inc., where she was employed as the Assistant Vice President, Counsel, for the Retirement Services division.

In January of 1999, Judge Alvord was sworn in as a Family Support Magistrate for the State of Connecticut. She served as a Family Support Magistrate until 2002, when she became a Judge of the Superior Court of the State of Connecticut. During her time on the Superior Court bench, Judge Alvord served as the Presiding Judge of the Family Division in New Haven. She was also assigned to hear matters in Rockville, Tolland, Waterbury and Hartford.

In April of 2009, Governor M. Jodi Rell appointed Judge Alvord to the Appellate Court. Judge Alvord has served as a UCONN Moot Court instructor and judge. She is also a James W. Cooper Fellow of the Connecticut Bar Foundation. She serves on the Judicial Branch Executive Committee, 2018-present.