The Southern Poverty Law Center

Theresa Lau (she/her) is the Senior Federal Policy Counsel on Eradicating Poverty at the Southern Poverty Law Center where she focuses on advancing equity and ensuring people have access to resources to succeed and live with dignity, including high-quality housing, nutrition, healthcare, good jobs and schools. Prior to joining SPLC, she was the senior civil rights counsel for the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee under Senator Patty Murray (WA). Previously, she served as senior counsel at the National Women's Law Center and was a NAPABA Law Foundation fellow at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice.

Theresa grew up in an immigrant household in Boston, MA. She is a graduate of Wellesley College and American University College of Law and is currently based in the Washington, DC metro area.