About Brenda Ford

Hawai‘i County Council Member, District 7
Elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2008. Chair of Public Works and Intergovernmental Relations Committee and Vice-chair of Environmental Management Committee.

Personal Information
Brenda has been married to Larry Ford, her best friend and biggest supporter, for 17 years. Larry was a contract negotiator for Pacific Bell and is now retired. They have three grown children who live in California.

Brenda and Larry came to the Island of Hawai‘i on their honeymoon and fell in love with its ocean, countryside, and perfect climate for orchids, which Brenda loves. They have resided on the Big Island since 1995. They currently live on a small farm in Captain Cook where they grow papaya, lychee and coffee.

Professional History
Brenda earned a B.A. in Management. Starting as a Service Representative, she worked into management and spent more than 18 of 22 years as a manager at Pacific Bell. She also served as a Union Steward for the Communication Workers of America. After retiring from Pacific Bell, she worked for a chemical manufacturer and a hotel resort.

Community Involvement
Brenda’s belief in giving back to the community resulted in her service as a Director or Corporate Officer for several nonprofit organizations: Kona Orchid Society, Plan To Protect, South Kona Community Emergency Response Team, and Citizens for Equitable and Responsible Government. Brenda and Larry both act as advisors for small, start-up corporations. In addition, they also volunteer with the American Red Cross Disaster Action Team, the South Kona Community Emergency Response Team, and serve as Neighborhood Watch Coordinators.

For eleven years, Brenda was a community advocate before Commissions, Boards, and the County Council supporting improved infrastructure, workforce housing, environmental protection, public safety, small business development, a fair and equal vote for everyone, and an equitable reapportionment plan. Passionate about re-districting fairness, Brenda took her case against Hawai‘i County’s Reapportionment Commission to the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to properly balance the council districts.