Posts by Melissa Hornbostel

Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO of the Sonoma-based nonprofit After The Fire, is on Forbes ‘50 over 50: Impact’ list of national changemakers. The publication called Thompson a leader in the recent field of megafire disasters across the American West. Thompson’s path to leadership took several turns, Forbes noted. She was a high school dropout, a…

Jennifer Gray Thompson was recognized alongside Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson and bestselling author Brene Brown. Sonoma nonprofit leader Jennifer Gray Thompson was listed on Forbes’ 50 Over 50 2022: Women Stepping Into Their Power In Life’s Second Half, and she didn’t even know it. As she checked her phone with sleepy eyes on the…

It was 15 years ago, in May 2007, that an EF5 tornado barreled through the 1,300-person city of Greensburg, Kansas. In just 15 minutes, give or take, 12 people were killed and 95 percent of the town was obliterated, according to Stacy Barnes, who grew up in the town and is now its administrator. “We…

Amid the crumpled, twisted remains of the Plumas County town of Greenville, few people stirred, other than the constant caravans of disaster response teams driving through what had until recently been a picturesque Gold Rush town. Against the sprawling devastation, Jennifer Gray Thompson stood out, calmly snapping photos of a scene that seemed startling, yet…

Wildfire in 2020 left damage all throughout the Santiam Canyon east of Salem. (Ron Cooper/Salem Reporter) Over the next few years, a Northern California-based nonprofit will work to get local officials and organizations connected with grant funds to aid survivors of the 2020 Santiam Canyon wildfires. Jennifer Gray Thompson, CEO of After the Fire, spent…

TWIN BRIDGES, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 30: A chairlift at Sierra-at Tahoe ski resort sits idle as the Caldor Fire moves through the area on August 30, 2021 in Twin Bridges, California. The Caldor Fire has burned over 165,000 acres, destroyed over 650 structures and is currently 13 percent contained. (Justin Sullivan via Getty Images)) Packing…

Leaders in Sonoma Valley have joined together to launch a broad-based coalition to ensure all Sonoma Valley residents are food secure during the COVID-19 pandemic and shelter-in-place order. The goal of the new Sonoma Valley Food Security Task Force is to bring together Valley leaders to work collaboratively to mitigate the challenges faced by our…

Rincon Valley firefighters rest in the archway and against the fireplace of a home on Wikiup Drive in Santa Rosa after the Tubbs firestorm swept through Oct. 8 and 9. These firefighters were first on the scene and had been on the job for four days when these photos were taken Oct. 12. ON OCTOBER…