Home Plan Libraries from Paradise to Los Angeles

October 13, 2025

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 recovery efforts that honor local character while speeding up the rebuilding process.

 

 

MODERATOR:

Smiling woman with blonde hair, event title, and speaker details on a maroon background for wildfire summit.Jenni Goodlin
Jenni Goodlin is the Executive Director of the Rebuild Paradise Foundation. With a background in dental hygiene and a deep heart for service, Jenni Goodlin never expected her journey would lead to community recovery work. After relocating to Paradise in 2019, she and her family lived for over two years on a burned lot in a travel trailer, slowly rebuilding both their home and their hope. That personal experience now fuels her leadership as Executive Director of the Rebuild Paradise Foundation—a role she has held since2021. Jenni is passionately dedicated to helping families return home, navigate insurance obstacles, create defensible space, and rebuild in ways that are safe and affordable. Her approach to recovery goes beyond construction; it is centered on people, resilience, and restoring a true sense of home.

 

PANELIST:

Chris Corbett poses in front of a banner for the 2025 Wildfire Leadership Summit event.Chris Corbett
Chris is a designer, community advocate, and founding collaborator of the Altadena Collective, a grassroots initiative formed after the Eaton Fire to support recovery and rebuilding in the community. Through the Collective, he has helped bring together homeowners, design professionals, contractors, and nonprofit partners to coordinate resources, streamline permitting, and create affordable, resilient housing solutions that preserve the character of Altadena. A Yale graduate and Imagineering alumnus, he combines academic rigor with creative problem-solving, applying those skills to both hospitality projects and community-focused design. In the Altadena Collective, Chris has been instrumental in developing initiatives such as the Janes Cottage Model Home Program, which reimagines historic neighborhood homes with modernized layouts, fire resilience, and affordability in mind. By bridging his design expertise with his commitment to community resilience, Corbett is helping guide Altadena’s rebuilding efforts in a way that honors its history while preparing for the future.

 

Smiling man in blue shirt with text about wildfire summit and Home Plan Libraries from Paradise to LA.Alex Athenson
Alex Athenson is a licensed Architect and Urban Designer, as well as Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Foothill Catalog Foundation. The Foothill Catalog Foundation is a nonprofit organization with the mission to develop a Catalog of preapproved home designs, allowing LA wildfire survivors to rebuild expeditiously, resiliently, and affordably, while simultaneously retaining the cultural and architectural identity of the community. Alex has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago and a Master of Architecture from the University of NotreDame. With an expertise and passion for regional traditional design, Alex has contributed to several architecture and urban design projects throughout the United States. He is a board member of the AIA Pasadena Foothill Chapter.

Posted in 2025