A U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Desa spent 10 years as a Surface Warfare Officer in the U.S. Navy and Naval Reserve. She later earned an M.B.A. from Florida International University and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as the editor-in-chief of the Journal of
International Economic Law.

Prior to coming to Zip Code, she was the Assistant General Counsel of Intellectual Property at InterDigital, Inc., where she served as the senior transactions counsel for research and development, technology innovation and government contracts.