About Us

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About Us

Hornback Partners is a bespoke strategy and communications firm that specializes in advising companies to fully realize their commitment to sustainability -- economic, social and environmental -- and its impact on the bottomline.  By helping clients strategize, take action and harness its purpose, Hornback Partners ensures they can adapt to evolving market demands and challenges. Creating brand platforms is equally important; it allows organizations to communicate their sustainability efforts authentically, making their stories resonate with stakeholders.  

Working with Fortune 100 companies, small- and medium-sized enterprises, nonprofits and individuals, Hornback Partners understands the key to long-term business sustainability lies in authenticity, collaboration and dedication to balancing people, planet and prosperity goals.  Its work on behalf of clients has centered around education, workforce development, gender equity, renewable energy, the environment, women's health, urban agriculture, the built environment and the arts, among others.  

From the climate drawdown and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to the crisis in U.S. science education and the lack of diversity in America’s STEM fields to alternative energy technologies and emerging women’s health issues to the latest advances in scientific research and development, Hornback Partners has extensive background in creating and communicating new ideas, issues, programs, partnerships, products and services to the business and financial industry; the medical, scientific and engineering communities; educators; elected officials and policymakers; mainstream and specialty media; employees; other targeted audiences and the general public, at large.

Our Approach

We listen to our clients, closely and carefully.  Based on our unique understanding of what the client wants to achieve, coupled with our extensive knowledge of the issues, we develop and implement business strategies and communications platforms that help them reach their goals.  

Our Philosophy

Our strength lies in our philosophy of “creative collaboration.”  It requires considerable commitment on the part of both agency and client, yet yields generous rewards. 

• Relationships are typically long-standing.
• Programs are heralded internally by employees, top down, and externally by industry, opinion leaders and policymakers as groundbreaking and exemplary. 
• Client goals are met and very often exceeded.

Our Network

We may be small, but our network is mighty.  Hornback Partners has deep, long-standing relationships with other senior level professionals and agencies who we partner with on an as-needed basis.  These include communications guru Cynthia Carway who has worked for nearly three decades side-by-side with our founder Stephanie Tonnesen Hornback at her own bespoke, New York City-based firm, Carway Communications, Inc.  In addition, Hornback Partners has an affiliate relationship with Pittsburgh-based RLucore Consulting led by Rebecca Lucore, a 30-year veteran of Corporate America with expertise in corporate social responsibility, sustainability, philanthropy and employee engagement and volunteerism.

Our Founder

The firm is led by Stephanie Tonnesen Hornback, a seasoned communicator who has spent her career driven by a passion for sustainability and social responsibility.  For more than 25 years, Stephanie has worked at the intersection of ideas, influence and thought leadership around issues including leadership, collaboration, workforce development, DEI, health and education equity, workforce development, science, innovation and exploration, sustainability and climate action, among others. 

Much of her work is rooted in the idea that in today’s world, you can do something, but if you don’t talk about it – if you don’t communicate and share publicly – how much have you actually accomplished?  How many more people could you have educated, inspired and/or activated?  

Colleagues have called Stephanie a “Big Sky Thinker” who is just as comfortable in the weeds.  She has created and directed purpose-driven, award-winning programs and initiatives for Covestro LLC, Bayer MaterialScience, Bayer Corporation, Dow, Pfizer, Pearle Vision, Blue Diamond Construction, UN Environment, National Science Foundation, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Filmmakers, Green Bronx Machine, American Autoimmune Association and ASSET Inc., among others.

Stephanie jumpstarted her career as a journalist in New York City at New York Newsday and the Queens Courier.  She's served as a trainer for astronaut Dr. Mae C. Jemison’s international science camp The Earth We Share™ and earned the designation Climate Reality Leader after training with Vice President Al Gore at his Climate Reality Project’s online global training summit.  Since 2022, Stephanie has taught communications as an adjunct professor at Mercy University, the largest Hispanic-Serving Institution in New York State.

A committed community leader, Stephanie currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Passaic County (NJ) SPCA where she spearheaded the creation of a pet food pantry for county residents.  She is active member of All Saints Episcopal Church in Queens, NY where she is part of an ad-hoc committee that organizes town halls, concerts, arts events and holiday festivals.  The Borough of Hawthorne (NJ) and its Environmental Commission recently recognized Stephanie with a "Green Citizen Award" for her volunteer work with young people around upcycling and creative reuse.    

Born and raised in New York City, Stephanie holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and journalism from City University of New York, Queens College.  She also is a graduate of the University of Vermont’s Grossman School of Business' Leading Sustainable Innovation program and Rutgers University’s Institute for Ethical Leadership’s CSR program.  Currently, Stephanie is pursuing an MBA at Mercy University.   

She and her husband, Andrew, reside in Northern New Jersey with their rescued Maltese, Mr. Butters.