Brenda was raised in Waipiʻo (ʻEwa, Oʻahu). She began volunteering for Paepae o Heʻeia (POH) at Heʻeia fishpond during holiday breaks from Occidental College, where she received her B.A. in Biology with a Marine Biology emphasis.
She joined the POH staff as a part-time Ka ʻAi Kamahaʻo internship coordinator while pursuing her M.S. degree in Marine Science from Hawaiʻi Pacific University.
Brenda joined the KUA team in September 2013 and her primary kuleana is to coordinate opportunities for loko iʻa practitioners to network and increase restoration efforts.