Katherine Griffiths Earns Accreditation in Public Relations
Director Katherine Juhl Griffiths, APR, has successfully completed the Examination for Accreditation in Public Relations entitling her to use the APR professional designation.
“One of our core values at Tripepi Smith is ‘Always Be Learning’,” said Katherine. “During my tenure with the firm, I have completed professional development programming including a Social Marketing Certification from Hootsuite and the Local Leaders Academy at the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy. In my fourth year, I chose to focus on Accreditation in Public Relations to complement my existing strengths in writing, creative direction and project management with deep exposure to public relations as a discipline and profession. This expanded understanding of public relations as a management function will help my team and clients by elevating my capacity to think critically and plan strategically.”
The accreditation program is directed by the Universal Accreditation Board, a consortium of nine professional communication organizations, including the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO), of which Tripepi Smith is a proud Diamond Sponsor. The program aims to improve the practice of public relations by assessing competence in 60 areas of knowledge, skills and abilities associated with the profession. Candidates who successfully complete the rigorous process, including presenting their portfolio to a panel of three peers and sitting for a three-hour, computer-based examination, are granted the APR.
“Earning the APR reflects a mastery of the knowledge, skills and abilities needed to succeed in our increasingly complex profession,” said Marian Faulk, APR, 2021 chair of the New York-based Universal Accreditation Board. “Practitioners who achieve the designation are demonstrating their commitment not only to our profession, but also to a strong code of ethics and to the betterment of their organizations and clients.”
Katherine joins Tripepi Smith Director Jennifer Nentwig and Senior Business Analyst Emily Mason, who also hold the APR designation.
Professionals earning the APR must renew their credential through continuing professional development, providing leadership to the profession and serving their communities.
Katherine—an award-winning writer and creative director whose work with municipal and higher education clients has earned accolades from the California Association of Public Information Officers, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the College Fraternity Editors Association—joined the Tripepi Smith team in November 2016. She previously was the publications editor and director of creative services for Claremont McKenna College. She currently supports administrative and creative projects for Tripepi Smith clients including Bayshore Consulting, California Choice Energy Authority, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Clean Energy Alliance, Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, Mt. San Antonio Gardens, MuniEnvironmental, Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy, Pomona Choice Energy and Renne Public Law Group.
An active volunteer, Katherine sits on the boards of directors for the Claremont Educational Foundation and the Southern California Blind Children’s Center. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from Denison University, where she studied literature and writing.
“Katherine’s commitment to the Always Be Learning mantra that is central to our culture is foremost on my mind as this news arrives,” said President Ryder Todd Smith. “To put it simply, the accreditation process is a lot of work. Katherine invested hundreds of hours while also delivering client work and keeping clients happy. The effort was worth it as she learned many new skills relevant to her work at Tripepi Smith. Today, we all win.”
About Tripepi Smith
Tripepi Smith is a California-based marketing, technology and public affairs firm that serves for-profit, nonprofit and public agencies. Its unique mix of marketing and technology prowess provides a competitive advantage to agencies seeking to leverage the internet to achieve their communication goals. The firm provides full content creation services, including: ghost writing, collateral development, photography, video production, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns and website design and execution. Tripepi Smith clients include: City of American Canyon, City of Culver City, City of Cupertino, City of Daly City, City of Duarte, City of Grover Beach, City of Santa Paula, City of Indian Wells, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Lake Forest, City of Livermore, City of Napa, City of Paramount, City of Martinez, City of Tracy, City of Vallejo, CalChoice Energy Authority, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, Santa Clara County Fire Department, Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Rowland Water District, California Contract Cities Association, California City Management FoundationRenne Public Law Group, Bob Hall & Associates and Climatec Energy Services.