Lan Sena was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is the daughter of Vietnamese refugees that settled in Albuquerque in 1975 and 1981. She received her Baccalaureate degree in Political Science from the University of New Mexico and her Master of Health Administration from the School of Public Administration at the University of New Mexico.
Lan Sena was diagnosed with Stage 4, Hodgkins lymphoma in 2011 and is currently undergoing treatment for her third relapse. Since her diagnosis in 2011, she has advocated for policy changes to help fellow cancer patients and their families. Sena advocated for pre-existing conditions protections at the New Mexico state legislature and Medicaid Forward. She is a Founders Council member with United States of Care, a bipartisan group advocating for Healthcare policy changes that stop families from questioning bankruptcy or their care. Sena was appointed to Albuquerque City Council in March 2020, where she championed policies that help working families like zero fares for transit, language access, and paid sick leave. She served on Council until the end of 2021. Sena now serves as Policy Director of the Center for Civic Policy, where they passed the New Mexico Voting Rights Act and universal early childhood education through the Vote Yes For Kids campaign.
Lan Sena resides on the Westside with her husband, Joey, and two dogs – Sterling and Mochi.