The Power of Connection: Friendship and Trust in Recovery In this heartfelt closing panel, two leaders—John Smith, Administrator of Maui’s Office of Recovery, and Paul, Division Chief Fire Marshal from Santa Rosa—share how tragedy sparked an enduring partnership. Moderated by Lorez Bailey, a Sonoma County recovery leader, the conversation explores…
Australian resilience expert Renae Hanvin, Founder and CEO of Resilient Ready, shares powerful insights on how “invisible infrastructure”—the social connections that bind communities—plays a crucial role in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Speaking at an international forum, she explores how social capital—the trust, networks, and coordination among people—builds true resilience…
In this panel on Funding and Philanthropy in Disaster Recovery, leaders from Napa Valley Community Foundation, Hawaii Community Foundation, and Ballmer Group discuss lessons learned from disaster response across California and Hawaii. Julia DeNatale, Keanu Lau Hee, and Nina Revoyr share how philanthropy can evolve to meet long-term community needs,…
In this inspiring panel on Community-Led Resilience, Kasey Earnest, CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Malibu, moderates a powerful conversation with Nicole Huguenin, a generosity entrepreneur from Maui, and architect David Hertz of the LA County Fire Brigade. Together, they share how grassroots care networks, community brigades, and…
Architects and community leaders from Paradise and Altadena share how they’re helping wildfire survivors rebuild with resilience, affordability, and heart. Jen Goodlin of Rebuild Paradise Foundation, Alex Athenson of the Foothill Catalog Foundation, and Chris Corbett of the Altadena Collective discuss innovative home design programs, pre-approved building plans, and community-led…
Miguel Santana, CEO of the California Community Foundation, shares how the organization mobilized rapid relief and long-term recovery efforts following devastating wildfires across Los Angeles. With over a century of service and a 25-year history in wildfire response, the foundation raised $60 million in just 30 days—providing direct support to…
In this inspiring address, Jennifer Gray Thompson highlights the power of resilience, leadership, and community in the aftermath of wildfires. She honors fire survivors, leaders, and partners from across the country—acknowledging their courage, hard work, and dedication to recovery. From Maui to Los Angeles, Jennifer reminds everyone that rebuilding takes…
A moving opening from the 2025 After the Fire gathering featuring singer-songwriter and Eaton community member Aloe Blacc, joined by Kainoa Horcjo, a Cultural Leader from Maui. Together, they share songs, stories, and reflections on the power of Hawaiian values—Aloha, Ohana, and Kuleana—in guiding recovery and connection after loss. Through…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “We're going to have to come together in order to be climate resilient.” —Elizabeth Christy “The earth knows how to respond.” —Caitlin Cornwall “There's this window of opportunity after a catastrophe.” —Joe Nordlinger Disasters are complex challenges that require integrated solutions. While technology can…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “The most important people in the room are the people who have lived it, who went to bed one night and the next day when they woke up, their lives were absolutely never the same.” —Jennifer Gray Thompson “In Hawaii, we call land Aina,…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “Nothing else mattered more than helping our people… Together, we have the chance to not only rebuild, but to do so in a way that honors our past, supports our present, and secures a resilient future.” —Honorable Richard Bissen The August 2023 Maui wildfire…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “We have one chance, and we have one chance to get this right. If we rebuild Lahaina only for Lahaina, we will fail. We have to rebuild Lahaina for all of Hawaii, for all of mankind, so that Lahaina can be the example of…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “We were rendering aid— food, medical, and those immediate needs until such that the government arrived. So we were in operation for 30 days.” —Kalikolehua Store “Hard decisions had to be made that day. My daughter would grab the pets and I would grab…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “We need to stop looking at people in this country being victims all the time, but actually being the true first responder in every community, in every situation.” —Brock Long Disasters are hitting our communities harder and more frequently than ever before. We can't…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “After disaster, there is plenty of information that you have to absorb, there's plenty of decisions you've got to make, there's plenty of problems you've got to solve, and prolonged stress impacts our ability to do all of those things.” —Jolie Wills After a…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “Allow yourself the best you can to just release into all things in due time.” —Jacqui Jorgeson “It's important as leaders that we show those who we are leading that we also need breaks. We are not gods.” —Matt Henderson “Whatever people needed, everybody…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “The critical resources we used for this were imagination and creativity— things that are always with us, even immediately after a disaster. And by doing this, we have helped ourselves heal ourselves, we've helped our community heal.” —Ken Donnell “Children in our community haven't…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “Our mission should be developing communities to better withstand the challenges of our climate, building better and smarter in the first place, not just building back better. Together, we can create a safer, more prepared locality, a more prepared state, a more prepared nation.”…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “There's a lot that can be done if you open up the doors and just change the way that you do things.” —Jim Alvey “We don't do anything globally without partnerships. As a disaster relief organization, we're trying to get the most relief, the…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “A shared vision of reality where we can all see what's happening allows us all to respond to the same thing accordingly.” —John Mills Preparing for the future of disasters requires innovative solutions that go beyond traditional approaches. By consolidating critical information and leveraging…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “It's never about benefiting our organization, it's about benefiting the cause.” —Jennifer Gray Thompson Day 2 of the 2024 Wildfire Leadership Summit is underway and the insights are about to get even more powerful! After an inspiring and insightful first day, we are thrilled…
2024 AFTER THE FIRE USA WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “We have to grow the ‘we’ if we're going to survive in the future.” —Supervisor James Gore Effective leadership is not about commanding authority, but about cultivating a shared vision and empowering the community. True leaders understand that their role…
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “You got to be able to get out there and be able to assess the situation, not only from the building standpoint but the infrastructure standpoint, so that your decision-makers have the opportunity to make decisions and know what's facing them in terms of…
