Who We Are
Tripepi Smith is a provider of marketing, technology and public affairs consulting services. Combining our years of experience in local government, technology and the marketing fields, Tripepi Smith offers a unique blend of skills to help our clients execute on their goals. The Tripepi Smith team stands ready to help you with your outreach campaigns, video production, content writing, messaging, graphic work, technology infrastructure and websites.
We are here to help.
Our Team
Christine brings over 20 years of experience in the public sector, providing exceptional service to local government. Prior to joining Tripepi Smith, Christine was the Assistant City Manager for the City of Livermore. She worked for Livermore for 21 years, serving in the City Manager’s Office for seven years and as a planner in the Community Development Department for 14 years. Christine is a courageous, solutions-oriented servant leader. She has strong political acumen and a positive, can-do work ethic. In her role as Assistant City Manager, she established and oversaw the city’s communications and emergency management programs, created and implemented the city’s first-ever five-year strategic plan and served as liaison on council subcommittees, including a complex, controversial equity and inclusion subcommittee with elected officials and community members. She was also responsible for the city’s legislative platform and represented the city as a member of the Tri-Valley City Council legislative coalition. Christine built successful relationships in the region and served as chair of the Alameda County City Managers Association. In her role as a senior planner, she spearheaded the city’s first comprehensive zoning code rewrite which resulted in an award-winning development code including form-based transect districts specifically created to protect the historical downtown area. She also led complex annexations and large-scale development projects. In her role as a planner, she also served as president of the city’s largest bargaining unit helping to bring transparency and effective communication from the executive team to the unit of line-staff employees. Christine is also a graduate of the ICMA High Performance Leadership Academy where she honed her leadership skills in organizational development and change management, negotiation and collaboration, and effective communication.
Kalee Cummings is a creative analyst whose background has centered in public policy and the non-profit industry. Kalee brings a strong research background, which is evident in her experience as a student researcher for CMC’s Policy Lab and CMC’s Data Science Capstone programs. She also developed her professional skills with her experience in SOURCE, a student-led non-profit consulting group, where she gained client services and project management expertise. In her experiences, Kalee has developed a strong propensity for learning and delivering successful results in the fields of local government and marketing. She is a recent graduate of Claremont McKenna College, with a Bachelor of Arts in Government, concentrating in public policy and organization, and a sequence in Data Science.
Kalee is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional. Her client work includes Pivot Charter Schools and various redistricting projects.
Kendall Lowery is a capable analyst and communicator with a wide range of skills, including content strategy, writing, website management and more. With a bachelor’s degree in Economics and Writing & Rhetoric from Scripps College, Kendall is passionate about crafting concise, informative and accessible pieces of correspondence. She has honed her skills at organizations ranging from the Long Beach Post to online grocer Thrive Market, and has become a thorough researcher, a keen editor and a skillful SEO strategist.
Kendall is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional. Her clients include the City of Hawthorne, the City of Manteca and ICMA.
Avi Vemuri is a detail-oriented, analytical thinker with a background in data analytics, project management, and marketing. He graduated from Claremont Mckenna College with a degree in Economics, and a sequence in Computer Science. While at Claremont Mckenna, Avi gained experience as an IT Project Management Intern at Farmers Insurance and served as a Growth Marketing Manager for the food delivery startup EnvoyNow. These experiences helped drive a strong passion for marketing and project management. After graduating, Avi taught Computer Science and served as the Head Tennis Coach at The Hill School, an independent boarding school in Eastern Pennsylvania. This experience helped cultivate both his leadership and analytical skills.
Avi is certified in Hootsuite Social Media Marketing and Sprout Social.
Our Ethics
Corporate ethics don’t just happen. They require a commitment from top to bottom in the organization. They evolve from a firm belief that work must be done openly, honestly and with the best of intentions for all parties involved.
Reputations take years to build. Trust is not bought; it is earned. In the areas that our firm operates, there is no room to equivocate or hide on matters of ethics.
Pride
We do work we would be proud to see appear on the front page of a major newspaper.
Transparency
We identify our client list to prospective clients early in the process to ensure there are no conflicts of interest. We also review potential new clients with existing clients when even the slightest appearance of a conflict exists.
Not Political
We are not politically engaged. While we don’t discourage our team from supporting people they like/know/trust, there is never a link between a political action or donation and the work we do for our clients.
Own It
If we make a mistake or fall short of client expectations (we are human – it does happen), we own it. We learn from it. We try to make it right.
On Camera, Straight from the Horse’s Mouth
Tripepi Smith President, Ryder Todd Smith, discusses the importance of ethics at the firm.
Seeking Talent
What are we looking for?
Tripepi Smith is seeking to revolutionize communications and marketing in the local government world. With our diverse array of services and mission to put thoughtful, holistic thinkers in front of clients, we seek people who can strategize and deliver on the communication needs of our clients.
Signs that you might be a good fit at Tripepi Smith:
- New technologies interest you
- Social media use comes naturally to you
- Writing is fun and you know how to tell a good story
- Public policy is interesting to you and you like to understand the role of local government in our daily lives
- Doing something different each day sounds exciting
- Attending local government meetings seems engaging
- Operating independently with no micromanagement is ideal for your personality
Backgrounds that are good indicators of your ability to add value at Tripepi Smith:
- Management Analyst with a local government agency
- Associate at a public affairs firm
- Reporter at a newspaper or magazine covering current events or a local government beat
- B.A. or B.S. in politics, communications, public relations, English, graphic design or an M.P.A.
- Field staff or legislative aid for an elected official
- Recently completed a graphic design degree from college
- Experience working for an industry or local government association
Key Benefits of Working at Tripepi Smith
- You get paid (depending on your level, we pay from $55K – $125+K plus spot bonuses).
- You usually get to work from home
(though we reserve the right to get an office someday). - Your schedule is relatively flexible.
- You will learn a lot.
- We invest in ongoing education.
- We send you to conferences and other high-profile events.
- We provide you with a nice Macbook laptop.
- We provide you with a iPhone.
- We offer an employer match 401(k).
- We offer healthcare benefits.
- Work with a team of nice people.
- Surround yourself with quality professionals.
- We take ethics seriously.