VCCF Hosts Dr. Lucy Jones Event

Dr. Lucy Jones speaking at the opening of the event
The Ventura County Community Foundation hosted the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society on Monday, May 8, 2023 for an event at the VCCF Nonprofit Center to discuss future wildfires in our region, how to create greater resilience, and what Ventura County has learned over the past few years.
This bilingual event was attended by community members and leaders to speak with special guest experts renowned in the fields of social science, ecology, and disasters, including Dr. Lucy Jones, Dr. Alex Greer, Dr. Alexandra Syphard, and Dr. Susan Cutter. This panel is part of a larger workshop series, and was made possible thanks in part thanks to the North Valley Community Foundation, and the foundation’s Vice President of Programs Jovanni Tricerri was also present on the panel.
The event began with presentations on the existing and future wildfire risk and resilience in our community and across the state. This was followed by table discussions with each of the experts where attendees shared their local experience and insights regarding wildfires and disasters in our community.
The central goal of this workshop series is to create a forum for information exchange between scientists, wildfire survivors, those displaced by climate disasters, government decision-makers, nonprofit CBOs, business owners, and economic recovery collaboratives to gain insights into what facing these extreme wildfires is like as their rate and intensity increases with climate change, to share resilience-building tactics, and to determine what research needs to be understood and applied for communities to recover.
To learn more about the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science and Society, please visit their website.

VCCF’s Dr. Gabino Aguirre speaks at the event, thanking the promotores for attending the discussion

Dr. Lucy Jones’s opening presentation

Dr. Alexandra Syphard presents on the science of wildfires and human impact in Southern California

A breakout table discussion with Dr. Jones

A table discussion with promotores and translation services to participate in the wider conversation at the event

Breakout groups with each of the guest experts

VCCF President & CEO Vanessa Bechtel gives her thoughts during the full group Q&A and discussion section of the event