Brenda Asuncion was raised in Waipiʻo, (ʻEwa, Oʻahu). Since September 2013, she has served as the Hui Mālama Loko Iʻa Coordinator for Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo (KUA), where she works with Native Hawaiian loko iʻa (fishpond) practitioners to network and increase restoration efforts.