About Hornback Partners
Turning Purpose into Presence.
Hornback Partners was born out of a clear and persistent gap in the marketplace: too many businesses were making genuine commitments to sustainability, social responsibility and purpose-driven work, but struggling to translate those commitments into strategy and then into stories that resonated with the people who mattered most.
Founded by Stephanie Tonnesen Hornback, a seasoned communicator with more than 25 years at the intersection of ideas, influence and thought leadership, Hornback Partners was built to bridge that divide. As a woman-owned, bespoke strategy and communications firm, we help organizations — from Fortune 100 companies to nonprofits to small and mid-sized enterprises — fully realize their sustainability goals, build authentic brand platforms and foster deeper relationships with key stakeholders, inside and out.
Philosophy in Action: The Green Front Door
At Hornback Partners, we believe that the most powerful social impact isn’t found in a press release. It’s found at the threshold. We call our methodology the Green Front Door. It is a philosophy that transforms how organizations show up in the world. Too often, "impact" is treated as a back-office reporting requirement or a separate wing of the business. We move that mission to the front.
Our Green Front Door approach ensures your strategy is built on four actionable principles:
- Authentic Entry: Your social impact strategy must be the first thing a stakeholder experiences. It is a commitment to transparency and integrity that signals your organization is built on a foundation of purpose.
- A Welcome for All: A door is an invitation. We specialize in cross-sector advocacy that opens pathways for diverse voices—whether that means creating equity in the skilled trades or building patient-centric health coalitions.
- The Bridge Between Worlds: We act as the gateway between internal corporate goals and external community needs. By fostering trust on both sides of the threshold, we create partnerships that are resilient, sustainable and mutually beneficial.
- Narrative Curb Appeal: Every great mission needs a professional storyteller to invite people inside. We ensure your narrative is as compelling as it is true, turning your goals into conversations and measurable influence.
Our Competitive Advantage
The opportunities before us are significant. As sustainability and ESG move from the margins to the mainstream of business strategy, demand for expert guidance has never been greater. At the same time, the challenges are real: the landscape is crowded with generalist firms that lack the deep, specialized expertise our clients need.
Hornback Partners' strength lies in our founder's rare combination of journalism instincts, corporate communications experience and substantive sustainability knowledge—from the UN Sustainable Development Goals to climate action to workforce equity.
We are small by design, mighty by network, and singularly focused on helping purpose-driven organizations do well by doing good.
About Our Founder
Stephanie Tonnesen Hornback is a seasoned communications strategist and narrative specialist with more than 25 years of experience operating at the intersection of big ideas, corporate influence and public advocacy. Over a distinguished career spanning nearly three decades, she has served as a trusted advisor to Fortune 100 executives, visionary entrepreneurs and pioneering non-profit leaders, helping them transform complex organizational missions into lasting national, regional and local movements.
Stephanie founded Hornback Partners to solve a persistent market gap: the disconnect between genuine organizational commitments to sustainability and the actionable, resonant storytelling required to mobilize stakeholders.
Her unique competitive strength lies in a rare professional trifecta: sharp journalism instincts, deep corporate communications expertise and a substantive, foundational knowledge of the sustainability and social impact landscape. From the UN Sustainable Development Goals and climate action to workforce equity and structural educational reform, Stephanie understands the technical, political, and human nuances of modern advocacy.
Throughout her career, she has masterminded high-profile campaigns, directed extensive public opinion research, orchestrated national briefings, press conferences and summits in New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, and managed long-term collaborations with celebrity spokespeople, as well as partnerships with government agencies, nonprofit organizations and educational institutions. Whether cultivating grassroots urban agriculture movements or aligning global corporate mandates with regional community ecosystems, Stephanie is dedicated to opening the "Green Front Door," ensuring that purpose-driven organizations build the trust, influence and narrative integrity required to do well by doing good.
Clients Served
Corporate
Bayer Corporation
Bayer MaterialScience
Blue Diamond Construction
Covestro LLC
Dow
Hornback Strategic Services LLC
Pfizer
Pearle Vision
Nonprofits/Professional Associations
100 Year Starship
All Saints Episcopal Church
American Autoimmune Association
ASSET Inc.
Association of Clinical Research Professionals
Dorothy Jemison Foundation
Green Bronx Machine
Health People: Community Preventive Health Initiative
Passaic County SPCA
Public Sector/Government
National Science Foundation
UN Environment
Individuals
Dr. Mae C. Jemison
Stephen Ritz
Pat Miller
Thom and Gail Steinbeck
Elaine Kaufman
Recognition
While our achievements are many, our greatest are our long-standing client relationships and the high-caliber work we do, which has often been lauded and recognized by U.S. Presidents, business leaders, nonprofit executives and PR professionals as exemplary and groundbreaking. Our work has garnered awards and honors, including:
- The Ron Brown Award for Corporate Leadership
- President’s Service Award
- National Science Board’s Public Service Award
- Conference Board’s Best in Class Award
- Silver Anvil (Public Relations Society of America)
- Gold Quill (International Association of Business Communicators),
- PR Week (Shortlisted, Campaign of the Year)