After the Fire USA · Community to Community Program

Spokane Delegation

October 27-30, 2026 | Spokane, Washington

About This Delegation

As part of After the Fire USA's Community to Community Program, we are bringing experienced fire survivors, recovery leaders, and technical experts to Spokane. Our purpose is to listen first, understand what is working and where the gaps are, and make useful connections that continue long after we leave.

The Community to Community Program is built on the belief that the most valuable knowledge lives within survivor communities themselves. By connecting leaders across regions, we create a network of shared experience that strengthens recovery long after the initial disaster fades from public attention.

After the Fire USA has led these delegations since 2018. Spokane will be our 16th megafire community, across 21 counties and five states. This is our first in-person delegation to Spokane, and we expect to return throughout 2027 as the community’s needs evolve.

Meet the Delegates

For questions or to connect with our delegates, please contact Natalie Minuzzo at [email protected]

Smiling woman with shoulder-length light brown hair, wearing a navy top and white blazer, on a light background.

KATE BULGER

VICE PRESIDENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
MONEY MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL (MMI)

Post-disaster financial recovery.

Kate Bulger is Vice President of Business Development at MMI, the largest provider of nonprofit financial counseling and education in the United States. She specializes in developing and expanding new programs at MMI.

Kate has worked in the industry for two decades, beginning her career delivering crisis counseling directly to consumers throughout the Great Recession. She has devoted her career to helping organizations and communities resolve housing-related and debt-related challenges, increase financial wellness, and recover from the financial impact of natural disasters.

Kate’s personal focus on disasters began in 2011 following a tornado that affected Joplin, Missouri. Kate visited Joplin to witness the destruction firsthand and met with several survivors. She remained in contact for years, during which time she observed the length and difficulty of full disaster recovery. The experience inspired Kate to become the visionary and advocate for Project Porchlight, MMI’s post-disaster financial recovery program. Seeing Project Porchlight come to life and make a real difference for survivors has been one of the most fulfilling moments of her career.

Keegan Gibbs

KEEGAN GIBBS

CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
COMMUNITY BRIGADE

Community wildfire preparedness & response · Woolsey Fire (2018)

Keegan Gibbs is the Co-Founder and Director of Community Brigade, a Los Angeles County nonprofit focused on wildfire resilience, preparedness, and response. After losing his family home in the 2018 Woolsey Fire, he dedicated his work to developing innovative, community-driven approaches to wildfire resilience, working alongside fire agencies, government officials, and community leaders to address the complex challenges of organizing communities before, during, and after a disaster.

Woman with long reddish-brown hair smiling outdoors, wearing patterned top and gold earrings.

ADRIENNE HEINZ, PhD

CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGIST, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, THE AFTER COLLECTIVE

Mental health · North Bay Fires (2017, 2019, 2020)

Dr. Adrienne Heinz is a clinical research psychologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Co-Founder of The After Collective, a nonprofit that harnesses psychological science and agentic AI to support disaster survivors. Dr. Heinz's family and community in Healdsburg, California, have been repeatedly impacted by megafire 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. She is a National Science Foundation Climate and Health Scholar and an appointed member of the California Disaster Mental Health Coalition. Dr. Heinz also advises on cultivating public-private partnerships to expedite healthcare innovation in trauma-impacted communities, and has served on After the Fire USA delegations to Lahaina and Los Angeles.

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BREE JENSEN

FOUNDER & CEO
THE SOCIAL IMPACT FIRM

Communications · Eaton Fire (2025)

Bree Jensen is a social impact strategist, public affairs leader, and founder of The Social Impact Firm (TSIF). A survivor of the devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena, she has become a key voice in the region’s recovery, serving as a neighborhood captain, a community liaison for Habitat for Humanity, and Vice Chair of the Long-Term Recovery Group housed at The Eaton Fire Collaborative. She launched The Dena Report, a weekly publication that simplifies post-disaster updates and resources, and hosts the Impact Archives podcast, featuring conversations with changemakers shaping a more equitable future.

With over 20 years of experience in youth well-being, education, and housing justice, Bree has partnered with organizations across sectors to launch nonprofits, build advocacy campaigns, and lead communications and corporate social responsibility efforts. Her work has been featured in Family Circle, NBC affiliates, CBS, and USA Today, and she holds a Master’s in Social Entrepreneurship and Change from Pepperdine University, where she now serves on the program’s advisory board. Above all, Bree loves adventuring with her four kiddos and collaborating with others to build stronger, more just communities.

Bald man in a fire department uniform smiling while seated at an office desk with a computer.

PAUL LOWENTHAL

VOLUNTEER, AFTER THE FIRE USA
FIRST RESPONDER

Recovery, debris removal & infrastructure · Tubbs Fire (2017)

Paul is the Division Chief Fire Marshal for the City of Santa Rosa. Paul started his professional career in the fire service in 1998 and has worked for Santa Rosa Fire since 2001. Paul has experience in operations and prevention, was promoted to Division Chief Fire Marshal in 2021, and developed the City’s Vegetation Management Program and first Community Wildfire Protection Plan. During his time in Fire Prevention, Paul has managed construction and development and the city’s CUPA/HazMat Program.

Paul is the lead public information officer (PIO) for the North Bay Incident Management Team and is on the city’s EOC management team as a PIO. He has been a Board Member for Fire Safe Sonoma, the County’s Fire Safe Council, since 2016. Paul led both short- and long-term recovery efforts for Santa Rosa following the Tubbs, Nuns and Glass Fires and has worked with communities across the United States, including Maui, Los Angeles, Paradise, Texas, Colorado, Oregon, South Carolina, and Florida, on lessons learned, mitigation strategies, and wildfire disaster recovery.

Smiling man with glasses, gray beard, and suit with red tie standing in front of a plain light background.

TENNIS WICK

VOLUNTEER, AFTER THE FIRE USA
FORMER DIRECTOR, PERMIT SONOMA

Rebuilding, policy, permitting · North Bay Fires (2017, 2019, 2020)

Tennis Wick is a Sonoma County land use and permitting leader who now works in the private sector. He previously served as Director of Permit Sonoma, the county’s Permit and Resource Management Department, overseeing planning, engineering, building, fire prevention, natural resources, and code enforcement. His earlier career included government affairs, site acquisition, design, and entitlement work at Berg Holdings, a partnership at the engineering and planning firm CSW/Stuber-Stroeh, and current planning leadership for the County of Marin.

He holds a Juris Doctor from Golden Gate University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the American Planning Association. Tennis has traveled frequently with After the Fire USA on delegations to Maui and Los Angeles, bringing deep expertise in rebuilding, policy, and permitting to fire-affected communities.

After the Fire USA Team

Leading and coordinating the delegation.

Woman with wavy dark hair, wearing hoop earrings and a dark jacket, standing indoors by a window.

JENNIFER GRAY THOMPSON

FOUNDER & CEO, AFTER THE FIRE USA

Lead delegate · North Bay Fires (2017, 2019, 2020)

Jennifer Gray Thompson is the founder and CEO of After the Fire USA, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping communities navigate long-term recovery after megafires. A former English teacher and government worker, Jennifer brings a rare mix of public-sector experience, survivor-centered leadership, and practical recovery expertise to her work. She advocates in Washington, D.C. for wildfire survivors and federal recovery solutions and was named to Forbes’ “50 Over 50” Impact list. Her work centers on helping disaster-impacted communities recover, rebuild, and reimagine their futures with dignity, speed, and local power.

A woman with long dark hair smiles at the camera, wearing a dark top, with a blurred background—her poise echoing the confidence of national leaders and members of the Board of Directors.

REVA FELDMAN

STRATEGIC ADVISOR, AFTER THE FIRE USA

Local government & mutual aid · Woolsey Fire (2018)

Reva Feldman is an executive level leader with over 25 years of public sector experience working in city management and disaster preparedness, response and recovery to help ensure that local and state municipalities are prepared for emergencies and are able to respond quickly and efficiently before and after a disaster.

Ms. Feldman first served as the chief operating officer for a state park agency and then served as city manager for the City of Malibu, CA. Her strong leadership skills, knowledge, experience, and profound dedication to local government spurred her many notable achievements, including leading Malibu through the 2018 Woolsey Fire. Ms. Feldman retired from public service in 2021 and opened a consulting firm that supports local government and the city management profession. She serves as a Senior Fellow at Portland State University and is a frequent speaker for public and private organizations. She supports After the Fire’s delegations to fire-affected communities and is the lead for the annual Wildfire Leadership Summit.

A woman with wavy blonde hair in a white sweater smiles outdoors, embodying the optimism often seen among national leaders supporting fire affected communities, with trees in the background.

NATALIE MINUZZO

EXECUTVE ASSISTANT & COORDINATOR, AFTER THE FIRE USA

Delegation support.

Natalie Minuzzo is an experienced Executive Assistant from Sonoma, CA, dedicated to wildfire recovery and resilience through her work at After the Fire USA. She supports the CEO by providing high-level executive support, managing schedules, correspondence, and confidential materials with professionalism. She coordinates delegations to key locations, including Maui, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., overseeing logistics and on-the-ground operations. She also plays a key role in project and event management, assisting in the planning of the annual Wildfire Leadership Summit. Natalie also maintains website and database systems, ensuring accurate and accessible records, and fosters strong relationships with key partners and community leaders.