She has a PhD in Sociology from Northeastern University, Boston and, a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Boston University, USA. In her previous position as a Senior Manager at Public Affairs Foundation, Bangalore, she was a lead trainer in capacity building and knowledge transfer workshops in India, USA, Egypt, Kenya and Malawi; and, has worked on numerous projects within India and overseas that were funded by international funders such as DFID (UK), the World Bank and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Prior to this, she has worked as a Senior Research Analyst in Health Care Finance and Policy for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, USA and, as a Senior Researcher in Strategic Planning and Research at the Boston Police Department, Boston, USA. In 2021, Lalita was the recipient of a Data Journalism Fellowship awarded by Equal Measures 2030 (UK) and the Tableau Foundation (USA). She is also a Director at 3H Catalyst (an initiative of Sai Krushna Charitable Trust), a non-profit company that specializes in upskilling college students in government and low-fee colleges to enhance their employability.