Theresa Lu, Ph.D.

Dr. Theresa Lu is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of MissionQuest. She has more than three decades of expertise in working at the intersection of government, community, higher education, private sector, and philanthropy. As a leader in the field of organizational development and change management, she has helped transform hundreds of thriving organizations and thousands of inspiring leaders to optimal performance. 

Dr. Lu’s ability for consortium building have resulted in health access program evaluation projects for five states, capacity building for multinational private sector firms, and millions of dollars for workforce development. Her work creates complex multi-year, multi-million-dollar research studies that enable governments to make better policy decisions for all its citizens in the areas of health, justice, environment, and economic development. 

Dr. Lu teaches a variety of courses including organizational development and assessment, strategic planning, program evaluation, and grantsmanship. She has been faculty at the California State University Dominguez Hills, University of Southern California, and The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. She authored “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Action” and “Total Domination: Millions from Grants” [link to purchase].

Dr. Lu grew up in Southern California. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of California Irvine and her master’s degree and Ph.D. in counseling psychology at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.