Leading and Healing After the Fire

Leading and Healing After Fire explores the personal and professional toll of leadership in post-disaster recovery and the importance of sustaining the well-being of those who step into these challenging roles. Moderated by Jolie Wills, a cognitive scientist and disaster recovery expert, the panel features Clara Bergen, Amy Bernstein, and Adrienne Heinz—each sharing deeply personal stories and insights from their work and lived experiences in disaster-impacted communities. Together, they discuss burnout, resilience, trauma, and the path toward healing and post-traumatic growth for leaders navigating recovery after wildfire.

 

 

MODERATOR:

Jolie Wills
Jolie is a cognitive scientist and a psychosocial disaster recovery expert. As a survivor of the Christchurch earthquakes, Jolie has lived disaster recovery firsthand with her family and community. She understands the weight of responsibility of a leadership role after disaster and the challenges that those supporting affected communities face. Jolie has spent the last decade learning from disasters and packaging the learning up into practical tools and guidance to make it that bit easier for communities hit by disaster and for those working to support their recovery. Jolie was awarded a Winston Churchill Fellowship and an Edmund Hillary Fellowship for her global contribution to supporting communities affected by disaster. She is co-author of Leading in Disaster Recovery: A Companion through the Chaos and is an advisor to the global Counter Terrorism Preparedness Network.

 

PANELIST:

Clara Bergen, PhD
Clara Bergen is the Program Development Manager for Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services. She played a key role in the agency’s mental health response to the 2025 LA Wildfires, which included immediate support to over 4,800 people through Disaster Recovery Centers, followed by ongoing long-term recovery services, including individual and group therapy. Dr. Bergen is currently working to establish a new Disaster Response Program at Didi Hirsch, combining specialized staff with a reservist model of licensed therapists to enhance readiness for future crises. Dr. Bergen earned her PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Health Services Research & Management at City University of London, where she focused on crisis mental health care.

 

Amy Bernstein
Amy Bernstein is Senior Rabbi of Kehillat Israel. Prior to serving at KI she was the Rabbi of Temple Israel in Duluth, Minnesota. She graduated from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, which awarded her an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in2022, for her 25 years of rabbinic service. An Atlanta native, Rabbi Bernstein holds a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and Cultural Anthropology from Northwestern University, where she also earned a certificate in Women’s Studies. She is an alumna of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, a Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, and is Past President of the Southern California Board of Rabbis. In 2023, Rabbi Bernstein was awarded the prestigious Woman of the Year Award by Assemblymember Jaqui Irwin’s office. Rabbi Bernstein is passionate about bringing the deep wisdom of the Jewish tradition to meet the challenges and opportunities of the current moment.

 

Adrienne Heinz, PhD
Dr. Adrienne Heinz, Ph.D. is a clinical research psychologist at the VA National Center for PTSD, Public Digital Health Innovation Program and Stanford University School of Medicine. Dr. Heinz’s family and community in Healdsburg, California, have been repeatedly impacted by mega-fire disasters and she cares deeply about raising awareness of the intersections of climate change, disaster, and mental health. In her role, she creates free, science-based mental health apps to address posttraumatic stress and related struggles and her program of research on trauma and resilience has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Heinz also serves as a consultant advising on cultivation of public-private partnerships to expedite healthcare innovation in trauma-impacted communities. Currently, Dr. Heinz, is a National Science Foundation Geo Cafe Climate and Health Scholar that connects health researchers with geological scientists to accelerate research and discovery on climate change and health.