As Chief Operating Officer, Lala Wu leads operations, finance, and strategic growth at Terner Labs, where she ensures the infrastructure is in place to support catalytic innovation in the housing sector. She brings deep experience in building and scaling mission-driven organizations, with a focus on operational excellence, cross-sector collaboration, and civic impact.

Prior to joining Terner Labs, Lala co-founded and served as Executive Director of Sister District, a national leader in leveraging grassroots energy and data-driven strategy to win power in state legislatures. She helped the organization raise over $7 million directly for candidates and mobilized tens of thousands of volunteers and donors. Under her leadership, the organization pioneered original research to inform political strategy, launched innovative voter engagement programs, and built lasting alliances with key partners.

Lala began her career in law, gaining foundational experience in land use, clean energy, and environmental policy while advising public agencies and developers at Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco, and Kaplan Kirsch & Rockwell in Denver. She also served as a federal law clerk in the Northern District of California and the District of Massachusetts.

Lala holds a JD from UC Berkeley School of Law and a BA in Urban Studies from Barnard College at Columbia University. She serves on the board of the Civic Space Foundation, home to the Civic Joy Fund, which fosters a more vibrant San Francisco by activating public spaces and supporting community-centered programming. She is also a volunteer leader of a pro-housing group, District 9 Neighbors for Housing.