Lea is currently working for the Blackfeet Planning & Development Office and is a Montana State Senator for Senate District 8, and also formerly served in the Montana House of Representatives. She has been involved in education and worked on conservation issues for over 20 years. She was raised on the Blackfeet reservation and has resided there all her life. She has 3 children; one in college, her oldest son works for a livestock feed company, and the youngest is in middle school.