Katherine Griffiths Promoted to Principal
Tripepi Smith is pleased to announce the promotion of Katherine Griffiths, APR, to Principal, effective March 1, 2022.
“The composure, organization and attention to detail that Katherine brings to the Tripepi Smith team translate into extraordinary client service and loyalty,” said Chief Financial Officer Nicole Smith. “Her work as an account manager often grows straightforward, task-oriented agreements into multifaceted projects spanning our firm’s full resources. Katherine’s colleagues also know that they may depend on her to provide insightful, thoughtful feedback on a broad range of written assignments as an attentive editor, proofreader and grammarian.”
With more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit and public agency advancement, Katherine is 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. Her proficiencies include strategic planning, executive messaging, content development, copyediting and print production and management.
“As a new principal at Tripepi Smith,” said Katherine, “I am proud to empower public agencies and their private partners to better engage and connect with communities.”
Katherine has supported administrative and creative projects for the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Association of Governmental Risk Insurance Pools and Renne Public Law Group, as well as California Choice Energy Authority, California State University – San Marcos, Claremont McKenna College, Clean Energy Alliance, Cosumnes Community Services District, Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, Mt. San Antonio Gardens, Pico Rivera Innovative Municipal Energy, Pomona Choice Energy, Rancho Mirage Energy Authority, San Jacinto Power and the cities of La Cañada Flintridge and Saratoga.
As a project manager, lead writer and creative director for the California Joint Powers Insurance Authority’s 40th-anniversary book, which received an Award of Distinction for Internal Communications from the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO), Katherine was responsible for research, content generation, print production and quality assurance, as well as serving as the primary interface with the California JPIA over the course of the six-month project engagement, which led to an ongoing retainer agreement. She also led production for two print versions.
In partnership with Tripepi Smith’s creative team, Katherine has delivered on new brand and identity systems for Pivot Charter Schools, Western University of Health Sciences Humanism Society, Pomona Choice Energy, Energy for Palmdale’s Independent Choice, Clean Energy Alliance and Cosumnes Community Services District.
In 2021, with support from both Tripepi Smith and CAPIO, Katherine earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR). Completing the APR curriculum provided deep exposure to public relations as a discipline and profession. This new understanding of and appreciation for public relations as a management function has elevated her capacity to think critically, plan strategically and prioritize “why” over “how.”
“One of our core values at Tripepi Smith is to ‘always be learning,’” said Katherine. “During my tenure with the firm, I also have completed professional development programming including Social Marketing Certification from Hootsuite, the Local Leaders Academy at the University of Southern California Sol Price School of Public Policy and Microsoft Excel from Beginner to Advanced through Udemy.”
Katherine also provides support for Tripepi Smith’s Media Intelligence Services, a comprehensive media listening solution that combines the power of Meltwater media monitoring with the specialization of the Tripepi Smith analytics team. This quarter, she has completed Meltwater Academy coursework in boolean searches, social listening and custom reporting.
“I genuinely enjoy supporting my Tripepi Smith colleagues and clients by listening and seeing issues through to practical solutions,” said Katherine. “It’s a privilege to be part of the team.”
Katherine, who holds a bachelor’s degree in English with a writing concentration from Denison University, previously was director of community relations for the Paine Art Center and Gardens, associate editor for The ANCHORA of Delta Gamma Fraternity, publications editor and director of creative services for Claremont McKenna College and a communications consultant for the Claremont University Consortium, Pomona College, Scripps College, the University of Redlands and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California.
In the past year, Tripepi Smith has supported over 200 organizations with their outreach and communication needs. The firm has also expanded its services into the talent space with the creation of TS Talent Solutions. Its media group has expanded its footprint with the growth of PublicCEO and Civic Business Journal. Finally, with the recent completion of an acquisition, Tripepi Smith’s service in council chamber and event video production has grown dramatically.
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 Foundation, Renne Public Law Group, Bob Hall & Associates, West Coast Arborists and Climatec.