Jacob Fitisemanu, Jr. was born in Wellington, New Zealand to Karen Dang (Kaimukī, O'ahu, Hawai'i) and Jacob Fitisemanu Sr. (Fagaloa, ʻUpolu and Sāfune, Savaiʻi, Sāmoa).

 Jake was raised in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi and Salt Lake City, Utah with a love of his vibrant Samoan, Chinese and Korean American heritage. He graduated with honors in Social Science from Westminster College, where he also obtained a Master's degree in Public Health. Jake co-founded the Utah Pacific Islander Health Coalition in 2011 and has chaired the annual statewide Pacific Islander Health Week since 2012. 

He was appointed to the US Census National Advisory Council in 2014 and serves on the Board of Directors of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum. 

In 2015, Jake was appointed by President Barack Obama to the President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a post he served for two years. 

Jake is the Director of the Health Clinics of Utah program and a member of the National Pacific Islander COVID19 Response Task Force. In 2017, he was elected to the City Council of West Valley City, where he lives with his wife Lucia and their daughters Moanalua and Lanuola.