Featured News Articles
Stay Connected
Latest Updates from our Facebook Feed
Kaponoʻai Molitau’s work begins with a fundamental question: what are ʻōiwi resources, what have they been, and what will they be for generations to come?As the first Director of the Maui County Department of ʻŌiwi Resources, Kaponoʻai brings the perspective of a Native Hawaiian cultural practitioner, Kumu Hula, and civic leader to work grounded in the enduring connection between people, land, and lineage. Together with his staff, he approaches the stewardship of ʻōiwi resources with cultural intent and ancestral knowledge.For more than two decades, Kaponoʻai has served as Kumu Hula for Hālau Nā Hanona Kūlike ʻo Piʻilani, teaching hula, oli, loina Hawaiʻi, and ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi to youth, elders, and other teachers. He has trained extensively in protocol at Puʻukoholā Heiau and achieved the traditional elevation to Kahuna Nui. He is also co-founder and CEO of Native Intelligence in Wailuku, a cultural resource center championing Native Hawaiian design and craftsmanship.Kaponoʻai will share his unique cultural outlook during the panel “Maui at Three Years: Recovery Rooted in Kuleana,” at the 2026 Wildfire Leadership Summit.#WildfireLeadershipSummit #WLS2026 #AfterTheFireUSA #MauiRecovery #Kuleana #IndigenousLeadership
We are honored to welcome the National Fire Protection Association as a sponsor of the 2026 Wildfire Leadership Summit.Established in 1896, NFPA is a global, self-funded nonprofit devoted to eliminating death, injury, property, and economic loss due to fire, electrical, and related hazards. The organization advances that mission through more than 300 consensus codes and standards, along with research, training, education, outreach, and advocacy.NFPA's work reaches the people who need it at every level: the fire service, code officials, builders, and residents making decisions about reducing wildfire risk around their homes and properties. Their collaboration with partners across the wildfire ecosystem helps turn research into practice in communities facing wildfire risk.We are grateful to NFPA for their partnership and for more than a century of work that has made communities saf#AftertheFireUSAr#WLS2026S#WildfireLeadershipSummitu#NFPA##WildfirePreparednessdness
Jenni Goodlin knows firsthand what long-term wildfire recovery demands.Based in Paradise, Jenni brings years of boots-on-the-ground experience from the Camp Fire recovery. As the former Executive Director of Rebuild Paradise, she developed and led grant programs, worked alongside local leaders and homeowners, and helped advance practical approaches to rebuilding and wildfire resilience.Today, as Community Resilience Manager at Mercury Insurance, her work sits at the intersection of wildfire resilience, community recovery, and insurance. She builds partnerships among homeowners, community organizations, fire agencies, and the insurance industry to identify practical ways to reduce wildfire risk and improve insurability.Jenni’s perspective connects the realities of long-term recovery with the work communities can do now to become more resilient to the fires ahead.At the 2026 Wildfire Leadership Summit, Jenni will join the panel “Build Back Better Is Not Enough: Infrastructure for the Fires Ahead,” bringing lessons from Paradise and her work connecting community resilience with insurance.#WildfireLeadershipSummit #WLS2026 #AfterTheFireUSA #CampFireRecovery #CommunityResilience #WildfireRecovery
We’re honored to welcome Susan Farren, Founder and Executive Director of First Responders Resiliency, Inc., to the 2026 Wildfire Leadership Summit.A retired paramedic with more than 30 years in emergency medical services, Susan has dedicated her work to helping first responders build resilience to the cumulative stress and trauma of the job. Through First Responders Resiliency, she leads proactive, science-based wellness programs for first responders and their families, equipping them with tools to prevent and mitigate the effects of post-traumatic stress.Her work is rooted in a powerful idea: supporting the health and resilience of first responders strengthens the communities that depend on them.At the Summit, Susan will join the panel “The Long Road Within: Trauma, Resilience, and the Work of Healing,” sharing her perspective on the long-term health and well-being of those on the front lines.#WildfireLeadershipSummit #WLS2026 #AfterTheFireUSA #FirstResponders #MentalHealth #DisasterRecovery
Firefighter Wellness Clinics come to WLS2026 — open to every attendee!The toll of fire service isn’t always visible right away. Chemical exposure, cumulative stress, and long-term health impacts build quietly over a career.That’s why we’re bringing the Volunteer Fire Foundation (VFF) and Integrative Health Action Network (IHAN) to this year’s Summit. Their on-site Firefighter Wellness Clinics use the same nationally recognized, evidence-informed model they’ve deployed across California and beyond—designed to reduce toxic chemical levels and improve health outcomes for the people on the front lines.These clinics aren’t just for firefighters. Every Summit participant is welcome to take part.Recovery starts with the responders, and it’s available to all of us. We’re glad to have VFF and IHAN alongside us at WLS2026.
For Michaela Hrbacek, recovery is about more than responding to a crisis. It is about how communities organize, adapt, and build toward the future they envision.As Community Impact Partnerships Manager at United Airlines, Michaela brings deep experience mobilizing people, partnerships, and resources to drive social impact. Her background spans volunteer management, community development, disaster response, urban planning and policy, and entrepreneurship, giving her a wide-ranging perspective on how coordinated action can help communities move forward.At the 2026 Wildfire Leadership Summit, Michaela will moderate the panel “Maui at Three Years: Recovery Rooted in Kuleana,” guiding a conversation about the partnerships, responsibilities, and community leadership that shape long-term recovery.#WildfireLeadershipSummit #WLS2026 #AfterTheFireUSA #CorporatePartnerships #DisasterRecovery #CommunityResilience