Lena is a former White House Fellow with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. She was appointed by the President in 2006 to the forty-four year old non-partisan leadership program, along with 13 other nationally selected Americans. 

Prior to her appointment as a White House Fellow, Lena was an Investment Representative at the Private Investment Management Division of Lehman Brothers. And prior to that, she was a Private Banker at the JPMorgan Private Bank in New York. 

Lena is a Founding Member and Board Member of Network 20/20, a start-up non-profit organization whose mission is to help prepare mid-career professionals in the U.S. to participate meaningfully in public diplomacy at home and abroad. Lena is currently an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School. She is fluent in English, French, Russian, and Wolof.