Lena started her career in the aerospace and defense industry working for Northrop Grumman. She initially worked as a software engineer building simulation models for national security satellites. She then transitioned to space exploration and became a product manager for NASA programs bringing humans back to the lunar surface. 

Before entering the space industry Lena started a company of her own called Soterra and served as CEO. Soterra was a communication company, which built a device to connect isolated women in rural developing countries to assistance in emergency situations. Lena also has a B.S. in Computer Science from Lehigh University.