024: DAY 3! From Flames to Futures: Navigating Wildfire Leadership with Hope and Resilience with Jennifer Gray Thompson
Release Date: 10/14/2024
032: Day 3: Closing Remarks with Jennifer Gray Thompson
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “We are not hopeless against mega-fires. We are not hopeless against the era of climate change. We can do these things together because we are daring to hope and to help each other.” —Jennifer Gray Thompson As we bring this transformative event to a close, we are filled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. Each and every one of you has played a vital role in making this summit a resounding success. Whether you traveled from near or far, volunteered tirelessly behind the scenes, or tuned in from your homes and...
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031: Day 3: KEYNOTE: Aloha, Hello and Goodbye with Kuʻuleinani Maunupau
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “Aloha does not mean hello and goodbye. Aloha has a much deeper meaning of love and respect. Hello to the return of our Indigenous kupuna knowledge and goodbye to the profit-making capitalistic colonization types of thinking that put profit over people.” —Ku’uleinani Maunupau Colonization has disrupted the deep connection between the land and its indigenous people in Hawaii. The once-thriving Hawaiian land management practice that fostered a harmonious relationship between the people and the environment, has been...
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030: Day 3: TALK STORY: IBHS Wildfire Prepared Home Program: The Road to Implementation with Amanda West and Mark Vaughn
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “We're not powerless. We are not powerless against wildfire. We know what we need to do.” —Amanda West “I try not to use the word remove. Just move them. You can have plants. You can have a beautiful landscape. We want that five feet for the fire break.” —Mark Vaughn Wildfires pose a serious threat to homes and communities, but we don't have to be helpless in the face of these disasters. By implementing proven mitigation strategies, homeowners can take proactive steps to protect their properties and create...
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029: Day 3: KEYNOTE: Funding Disaster Recovery Through a CDFI with Emily Nilsen
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “As the recovery process continues, you have to continue to adapt.” —Emily Nilsen Disaster recovery is a complex challenge, but innovative lenders are stepping up to the plate. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) like Impact Development Fund are providing flexible financing, coordinating resources, and creating tailored programs to support communities in rebuilding and becoming more resilient. In this talk, we hear from Emily Nilsen, the Chief Program Officer of . Listen in as Emily shares IDF’s...
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028: Day 3: KEYNOTE: Empowering Heirs: Fannie Mae's Program for Retaining Ownership and Returning Home After Disaster with Tim Carpenter
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “Home ownership is about stability. Homeownership is about building wealth. Homeownership is about families. But if you don't have a clear title, you don't know if that stability is going to be there.” —Tim Carpenter Disaster strikes, but for some, the real battle is just beginning. Millions of homes across the US are caught in a tangled web of heirs property— families without clear title to their generational land. This legal limbo leaves them vulnerable to losing everything. Thus, understanding the challenges of...
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027: Day 3: PANEL: Federal Advocacy: Championing Megafire Communities and Raising Awareness in DC
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “How you frame your argument is how you get them to listen.” —Jeff Okrepkie “We're willing to help anybody out that is going through this now or in the future.” —Steve Crowder “There's no playbook when it comes to a wildfire… Be ready, because you know this is going to impact you at some point, maybe not directly but you will be.” —Kevin Goss “There is a next step, and we just have to keep moving forward.” —Jenn Kaaoush Disaster can strike anyone, even those sworn to...
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026: Day 3: TALK STORY: State-Level Perspectives: Future-Proofing Recovery Senator Angus McKelvey and Senator Troy Hashimoto
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: This recovery is slow, it's painful, and it's costly. We need patience, and aloha, and support because we're all in this together.” —Angus McKelvey “We have a lot of challenges moving forward, and it's figuring out the strategy of how we're going to approach it. And once you get that strategy, you have to figure out how do we get it to implementation.” —Troy Hashimoto Disaster recovery is not just about the visible on-the-ground efforts - it also involves complex state-level decisions and...
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025: Day 3: WORKSHOP: Paying It Forward: Creating a Community of Practice for Long-Term Fire Recovery
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “Trust is so important to building a community of practice. And part of that trust comes from understanding where people are and where they stand.” —Michael McCormick “Once the scene is stabilized and we start to clean things up, and then there comes a point where we start rebuilding things… and that's when the long-term recovery begins.” —Matt McRae “There are simultaneous disasters occurring at the same time everywhere, and you never know what's going to hit you at that time, and you have to be...
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024: DAY 3! From Flames to Futures: Navigating Wildfire Leadership with Hope and Resilience with Jennifer Gray Thompson
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “It's not enough just to give, you have to always receive as well with the same grace and gratitude and aloha.” —Jennifer Gray Thompson “Aloha is boundless, and we know that Aloha reaches all shores and all states. Even in the most trying of times together, we are one team.” —Mahina Martin Welcome to the final day of the 2024 Wildfire Leadership Summit. We're so glad you could join us for this last session— it's been an incredible few days filled with insightful discussions, powerful...
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023: Day 2: KEYNOTE: Ohana Means More Than Family: Maui's Response Through the Lens of Cultural Values with Kainoa Horcajo
How to Disaster
2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Episode Description: “Indigenous values can shift how we deal with disasters.” —Kainoa Horcajo Disaster recovery isn't just about rebuilding infrastructure— it's about honoring the deep connections between people and place. Principles like reciprocity, collective responsibility, and deep connection to the land can shape a more compassionate and community-centered approach to rebuilding after crises. By honoring these time-tested philosophies, we unlock powerful pathways to healing and resilience. Kainoa Horcajo is a cultural...
info_outline2024 WILDFIRE LEADERSHIP SUMMIT
Episode Description:
“It's not enough just to give, you have to always receive as well with the same grace and gratitude and aloha.” —Jennifer Gray Thompson
“Aloha is boundless, and we know that Aloha reaches all shores and all states. Even in the most trying of times together, we are one team.” —Mahina Martin
Welcome to the final day of the 2024 Wildfire Leadership Summit. We're so glad you could join us for this last session— it's been an incredible few days filled with insightful discussions, powerful presentations, and meaningful connections.
Today, we have an exciting lineup of speakers and workshops that are sure to leave you feeling inspired and empowered in your important work. This community of wildfire leaders is truly special, and we are honored that we get to learn from each other one last time.
With that, let's get started on an amazing final day as Jennifer shares the importance of reciprocal care and community support, the need to create a formalized support system and database for disaster recovery experts, the challenges of funding long-term recovery efforts, and the goal of making it easier for communities to access the help they need during disaster recovery.
Connect with After The Fire USA:
- Website: https://afterthefireusa.org/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AfterTheFireUSA
- X: https://twitter.com/AfterTheFireUSA
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/afterthefireusa/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/atf3r
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuTefxZgWUJkDVoZGZQpxgQ
Highlights:
- 00:45 Maui One Year Later
- 07:46 Listen to Your Music
- 11:54 The Voice of the Future
- 18:46 Give and Learn to Receive
- 23:39 A Path Forward
- 27:10 Servant Leader, Not a Hero
👩🏻💼Meet Jennifer Gray Thompson, MPA, Founder & CEO of After the Fire USA
Jennifer Gray Thompson, named one of Forbes’ “50 over 50” IMPACT Leaders in 2022, has led Rebuild North Bay Foundation since January 2018, transforming it into a national leader in megafire recovery. A lifelong Sonoma Valley resident, she holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from USC and has worked for the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. Post-2017 North Bay fires, she became Executive Director of RNBF, which aids wildfire-affected communities across the American West. As CEO, she developed the Wildfire Resiliency Network and Survivor Deployment Model, advocated for federal policies, and hosted national Wildfire Leadership summits. Jennifer also created the “How to Disaster” podcast and serves on boards supporting Latino communities and first responders’ mental health.
👩🏻💼Meet Mahina Martin, Director of Public Affairs, Maui
Mahina Martin is the Director of Public Affairs for the County of Maui in Hawaii. In this role, she leads the county's public outreach and communication efforts, particularly during times of crisis and disaster recovery. Mahina played a key leadership role in coordinating Maui's remembrance and healing activities for the one-year anniversary of the devastating West Maui fires in 2022. Through her work, Mahina has demonstrated a deep commitment to supporting her community and upholding the cultural values of aloha and resilience in the face of adversity. Her collaborative approach and ability to bring people together have been instrumental in Maui's recovery efforts.