Lea is the Director of Network Coordination for the Moving Maryland Forward Network. A former deputy director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland and program director for the Association of Baltimore Area Grantmakers, in addition Gilmore has testified before local, state and federal commissions on issues ranging from immigration laws to the civil rights and liberties of women of color. Appointed by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, she served for several years as a member of the Maryland Advisory Board to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.

Lea has been recognized as one of 25 women shaping the world by ESSENCE Magazine, one the Top 100 Women by The Daily Record for 2014, and 2013 Advocate of the Year by the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition.