Our Team

Ryder has over 20 years of experience in government relations, technology and marketing. As president, he leads Tripepi Smith and is the ultimate project owner of its clients, which span over 90 public, private and non-profit agencies. Ryder is also the creator of the City Internet Strategies Study, publisher of the Civic Business Journal and a frequent speaker on the local government circuit. Additionally, his insights have been published by industry-leading publications, such as Western City Magazine and Public Management Magazine, and local government professional organizations, such as the California City Management Foundation and Municipal Management Association of Northern California have recognized and awarded his support as a longtime partner.

Before Tripepi Smith, Ryder served as a senior vice president of operations and chief information officer for a software-as-a-service startup in the financial services sector. Prior to that, he was the technology manager for a regional staffing firm.

Ryder graduated from Claremont McKenna College (CMC) with a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy, politics, economics and a dual degree in economics and served as President of the 10,000 member Alumni Association from 2008 – 2010. He now volunteers his time as vice chair of the Rose Institute of State and Local Government at CMC and is a former planning commissioner for the City of Tustin, where he resides with his wife and daughter.

Fun fact: Ryder is the son of a commercial fisherman and spent several summers in Alaska working on the boat with his father. Thousands of halibut gave their lives to pay for a collection of Legos, Ryder’s first car and his college education.

Nicole has over two decades of experience in accounting and financial analysis, human resources and marketing. In 2002, she co-founded Tripepi Smith and has helped build it into a statewide public affairs firm with over seventy public agencies, as well as private and non-profit clients.

Prior to launching Tripepi Smith, Nicole worked in PriceWaterhouseCoopers’ Business Assurance group, where she focused primarily on the real estate market. She later served as the Assistant Corporate Controller and Senior Financial Analyst for a publicly-traded homebuilder located in Orange County, and then worked for multiple clients in the real estate and services industries as an independent accountant. She now serves as the CFO and Director of HR for Tripepi Smith.

Nicole’s alma mater is Claremont McKenna College, where she graduated cum laude with a degree in Economics-Accounting.

Currently, Nicole serves on the board of the Vista Irvine chapter of National Charity League as the Vice President of Patroness Affairs. She volunteers with her daughter Reagan throughout their local community. She is a resident of the City of Tustin, where she lives with her husband, daughter and dog. She enjoys reading, working out and cooking.

Nicole is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional.

Fun Fact: Nicole grew up in local government–her father is a former California city manager.

With more than 25 years of experience in nonprofit 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, proofreading and copyediting.

Katherine joined the Tripepi Smith team in November 2016. She 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 and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. She currently supports administrative and creative projects for 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. Her municipal clients include the City of Saratoga and the City of Snoqualmie, Washington.

During her tenure with Tripepi Smith, Katherine has 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. She holds a bachelor of arts degree in English from Denison University, where she studied literature and writing, as well as organizational and interpersonal communication.

An active volunteer, Katherine sits on the boards of directors for the Claremont Educational Foundation and the Southern California Blind Children’s Center. She has served Delta Gamma Fraternity as council trustee: communications, regional director for California and Hawaii, regional alumnae specialist and regional alumnae programming and recruitment specialist. Katherine currently is vice-president: communications for the Glendale-Burbank Alumnae Chapter, where she also has been vice-president: programming, recording secretary and a member of the nominating committee. She also volunteers for the Denison University offices of admission, alumni relations and development, most recently as co-chair of her 25th reunion committee.

Katherine lives in Claremont with her husband, Charlie, and daughter, Charlotte.

Jon has a wide-ranging knowledge and skill set from years of Internet marketing and marketing communications work in a variety of industries. Jon’s professional background includes search engine optimization and advertising, website content management, content writing and editing, product marketing management, and significant experience with social media marketing and community management. His clients include the California City Management Foundation, City of Culver City, City of Hawaiian Gardens, City of Manteca, City of Napa, and Civiltec Engineering. Jon graduated from Claremont McKenna College with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature.

Jon is certified in Hootsuite’s Social Marketing, Twitter’s Flight School and Flight School Video, Siteimprove’s Digital Governance by Design, as well as Google’s Ads Video, YouTube and Google My Business.

Michael Egan is an accomplished local government executive with nearly 30 years of experience capped with 20 years of City Manager responsibilities in the cities of Bellflower and Norwalk. During his tenure as City Manager, he was active in regional governance and local government-affiliated groups. He is a Past President of the Gateway City Manager’s Group and former Chairman of the Gateway Cities Council of Governments City Manager’s Committee. He also served 18 years on the California Contract Cities Association’s Liability Trust Fund Oversight Committee and Claims Boards.

Michael’s many accomplishments include balanced budget management; multiple successful bond issues and improved agency bond ratings; implementing and expanding community policing programs, including the opening of a local Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Station; expanding recreation facilities by developing new parks, bicycle and walking trails, and public aquatics center; upgrading water and sewer infrastructure; successfully implementing local revenue measures; and executing on multiple economic development projects. Michael is passionate about local government and effective, ethical leadership.

He is an alumnus of Cal Poly Pomona, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Behavioral Science and was a founding member of the Cal Poly Chapter of Psi Chi, The International Honor Society in Psychology.

He lives in La Habra with his wife of 34 years, Teresa, a public schools administrator. He has a daughter, Jennifer, a local government professional; son-in-law, Nick, a Structural Engineer; and a granddaughter, Ellie, a curious and busy toddler.

Jennifer Nentwig is a talented, well-rounded communications professional and project manager with more than 13 years of experience serving government organizations. She has built and implemented programs in strategic communications, media relations, internal communication, community relations and social media. Her skills include website and social media management, development of content including articles, speeches, talking points and FAQs, as well as event planning and implementation. Jen’s clients include the City of Vallejo, City of Lomita, Pivot Charter School, Costa Mesa Sanitary District and City of Lancaster.

She is a Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional, is Facebook Blueprint certified, and has her Accreditation in Public Relations from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Kevin Bostwick is an experienced Art Director and creative manager. He delivers powerful ideas visually, distilling unexpected stories from challenging content and designing media for understanding and absorption. He directs and executes for digital, interactive and print mediums…delivering across a blend of channels, particularly for learning, data-display and presentation. His work for major clients has included digital tools, logos, presentation, interactive learning, advertising and print design. He navigates the whole ecosystem, working with high-powered stakeholders to shape concepts, UX, branding, strategy, writing, asset management, information architecture, and infographics. Kevin’s client work includes City of Aliso Viejo, City of Cupertino, Pivot Charter Schools, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority and Renne Public Law Group.

After a passion for storytelling compelled her to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in English at Scripps College, Cameron went on to study video editing and production at the Los Angeles Film School. This education led her to acquire more than 10 years of experience in video production and she later expanded her career into other areas of marketing communications. Her most recent role as Director of Creative Services at Claremont McKenna College allowed her to manage print communication pieces and social media in addition to video work. Cameron’s background includes experience in a variety of industries including higher education, entertainment and the nonprofit sector. Her client work includes City of Indian Wells and City of La Cañada Flintridge.

Cameron is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional and Constant Contact Certified Solutions Provider and has YouTube certifications in Content Ownership, Channel Growth and Creative Essentials. Her video work in Indian Wells won a 2020 CAPIO EPIC award. She is also a Library Board Member for the City of Rio Rancho.

Melanie James is a Senior Business Analyst and Graphic Designer with Tripepi Smith. After studying Anthropology at California State University, Long Beach, Melanie went on to receive her Digital Arts Degree from Golden West College in Huntington Beach. She began working as a freelance graphic designer in 2015 and joined the Tripepi Smith staff in 2016.

Melanie James is a talented graphic artist, expert on the WordPress platform and a skilled project manager. She has managed and delivered dozens of successful website development projects and has a full suite of creativity skills rooted in her formal graphic arts education. Her skills cover the full Adobe Creative Suite and into HTML and CSS. In addition, she has managed an array of projects ranging from robust digital advertising campaigns to comprehensive video production projects.

Her client work includes: City of Bellflower, City of Daly City, City of Fullerton, City of Huntington Beach, City of La Cañada Flintridge, City of Tracy, Santa Clara County Fire District, Rowland Water District, Placer Mosquito Vector Control District and Inland Empire Utilities Agency.

Melanie is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional and Constant Contact Certified Solutions Provider and has completed the University of Southern California Executive Education Forum for Local Leaders and the University of California, Irvine Public Policy Making Academy II.

Bria Balliet is a Senior Business Analyst with Tripepi Smith. She is an alumna of UC San Diego, where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and honed her writing skills as an editor for several on-campus publications. After earning her B.A., she worked for a boutique publishing firm in Orange County that specializes in creating custom magazines for cities, private communities, and the hospitality industry. In her most recent role, Bria created multimedia content for a major university including writing feature stories for the web and print, creating social media posts, designing school-wide print newsletters, and completing portrait and event photography.

Bria Balliet is a triple-threat of creative talent: a writer, graphic artist and photographer. Her skills enable her to be a complete storyteller in words and visuals. Her client work includes: City of Napa, City of Martinez, Silver & Wright LLP, Center for Public Safety Management, City of Hawaiian Gardens and City of Lake Forest.

Bria is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional and Constant Contact Certified Solutions Provider. She has also completed the University of Southern California Executive Education Forum for Local Leaders and the University of California, Irvine Public Policy Making Academy II.

Emily Mason is a dynamic communications professional, skilled in facilitating meaningful engagement between organizations and their stakeholders through integrated campaigns that leverage public relations, marketing, digital and event strategies. She thrives on collaborating with cross-functional teams to explore innovative and creative storytelling opportunities to navigate complex challenges and increase organizational reputation. This includes a wide variety of content creation, from crafting press releases and print collateral, to developing videos and implementing social media and influencer campaigns. She especially loves the seemingly limitless possibilities of digital communications, having had the opportunity to incorporate the use of gamification and user-generated content in past campaigns.

Emily achieved and maintains Accreditation in Public Relations through the Public Relations Society of America. Additionally, she is certified in Hootsuite Social Marketing.

Her client work at Tripepi Smith includes the City of Grover Beach, City of La Verne, City of Pico Rivera, City of San Luis Obispo and City of Santa Paula.

Kjerstin is a Senior Graphic Designer with Tripepi Smith. After studying Business Administration at both the Ecole Supérieure Libre Des Sciences Commerciales Appliquéesis in Paris and Concordia University in Irvine, Kjerstin went on to receive her Advanced Production Certificate in Graphic Design from Golden West College in Huntington Beach. She began working as a freelance graphic designer in 2012 and joined the Tripepi Smith staff in 2015.

Kjerstin has advanced knowledge of various creative platforms including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe InDesign. Kjerstin has experience leading an array of creative projects including layout, graphic design, illustration and creative concept development. Her client work includes: City of La Cañada Flintridge, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, City of Culver City, City of Walnut, City of Cupertino, City of Saratoga, City of Livermore, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority and Costa Mesa Sanitary District.

Kjerstin is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional. She also completed the University of Southern California Executive Education Forum for Local Leaders and the University of California, Irvine Public Policy Making Academy.

Karen Villaseñor is a Business Analyst with Tripepi Smith. She received her Bachelor of Science in Communication, with an emphasis in Public Relations, from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Karen brings unique local government experience and insight to the Tripepi Smith team. Having delivered both in-depth research and hands-on work for various public agencies and organizations over the past few years, she assists clients in leveraging their social media and online platforms to connect with their communities. Additionally, backed by first-hand experience in working with city managers and city staff, she is passionate about shaping positive and transparent relationships between local government agencies and the residents they serve.

Her client work includes: City of Tracy, City of American Canyon, Industry Business Council, California Choice Energy Authority, Clean Energy Alliance, SCV Water, West Valley Clean Water Authority, Mt. San Antonio Gardens and Pomona Choice Energy.

Karen is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional, Facebook Blueprint Planning Professional and Constant Contact Solutions Provider. She also holds certifications in Google Analytics and Google Ads Search and has completed LinkedIn’s former advertising course, Advertising on LinkedIn, as well as the University of Southern California’s Executive Education Forum for Local Leaders.

Saara joined Tripepi Smith as a junior business analyst in 2017. She filled the role of Tripepi Smith marketing manager for more than 3 years, reviving our monthly newsletter, helping to produce the “Meet Tripepi Smith” video series, planning special events and more. By 2019, Saara was promoted to business analyst, having served Tripepi Smith VIPs in both the private and public sectors, including: City of Culver City, City of Duarte, California Contract Cities Association, Institute for Local Government, League of California Cities, Orange County City Managers Association, San Gabriel Valley City Managers’ Association and Climatec. She has also supported Tripepi Smith subsidiaries, including PublicCEO and Civic Business Journal.

Saara came to Tripepi Smith as a fresh graduate out of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where she studied public relations, journalism, marketing management and philosophy. She wrote for Cal Poly Pomona’s student-run paper, The Poly Post, for a year before transitioning to brand ambassador for the university’s Associated Students, Inc. group and a safety communications intern in Southern California Edison’s Transmission and Distribution division. Saara also acted as marketing communications coordinator for a private K-12 school with locations in the San Gabriel Valley, Canada, China and United Arab Emirates.

Saara is certified in Constant Contact, Hootsuite Social Marketing, Hubspot Inbound Marketing and Google Analytics. She also has her drone pilot license from the Federal Aviation Administration and completed the University of California, Irvine Public Policy Making Academy II in 2020.

Skylar holds a Bachelor of Arts in Film from CSU Long Beach as well as a Master of Arts in Film from Chapman University and a Master of Arts in Public Relations from Full Sail University. Following the completion of his educational pursuits, Skylar joined the City of Lake Forest as a Public Relations specialist where he specialized in film production, graphic design, writing, and social media advertising. During his tenure at the City, Skylar served as the in-house videographer producing the City’s Mayor’s Minute weekly video series and the Meet the Mayor/State of the City short film. Skylar was responsible for redesigning and generating content for the City eNewsletter redesigning the City’s website and developing content for the City’s bi-monthly physical publication. A natural innovator, he took the lead on engineering and producing the livestream of City Council meetings via Facebook Live, making Lake Forest the first city to allow public comment through Facebook live chat.

He is committed to effective communications and passionate about bridging the gap between clients and their audiences through compelling and creative media.Skylar’s client work includes City of Huntington Beach, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority and Renne Public Law Group.

Skylar is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional and Constant Contact Solution Provider . He also has his FAA-issued drone pilot license, which he puts to use for Tripepi Smith’s MuniAerial, and earned a certification in Twitter Flight School for Video.

Sara Madsen is a talented graphic designer with a background in marketing and environmental sustainability, in which she earned her degree from San Diego State University. Her formal education in Visual Communications and passion for the environment led her to complete a Creative Design internship with ECOLIFE Conservation. During her time with the non-profit, she advanced her strategic approach to graphic design. As a continuation of her interest in non-profits, NGOs, and the public sector, Sara tackles graphic design, digital marketing and web development projects for clients and Tripepi Smith.

Her clients include City of Indian Wells, City of Paramount, City of Hawaiian Gardens, City of Vallejo, City of Lomita, City of Culver City, City of Palm Desert, City of Palmdale, California Choice Energy Authority, Santa Clarita Valley Water, California Joint Powers Insurance Authority, Renne Public Law Group and Civiltec Engineering.

Sara is certified as a Constant Contact Certified Solutions Provider and Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional. She has also completed the Public Policy Making Academy II at the University of California, Irvine and the Executive Education Forum for Local Leaders at the University of Southern California.

Alexandra Applegate is a talented technical and creative writer and copy editor, with experience writing news stories, social media posts, blogs, press releases and features. With a Bachelor of Arts in public relations, she is also practiced in creating and implementing campaigns for businesses and local government entities and confident in social media strategy and management. Passionate about multi-dimensional storytelling, Alex also has some experience with video, photo, design and other mediums. Her work at Tripepi Smith includes working as the editor of PublicCEO.com as well as working for the City of Culver City, City of Lancaster, City of Napa, Pivot Charter Schools, Merced County, City of American Canyon and Renne Public Law Group.

Alexandra is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional, Google Ads Search professional, Google Analytics professional and Constant Contact Solutions Provider.

Molly Lockwood is a creative and technical writer with a diverse background in strategic communications. In 2020, she completed her B.A. in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a Legal Studies sequence at the Claremont Colleges. Before joining Tripepi Smith, Molly gained public agency experience as an Intern Investigator at the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia. She also edited and published a surf magazine during her undergraduate career, which allowed her to develop leadership experience in content creation, social media management, website building, and the print medium. At Tripepi Smith, Molly partners with clients including Renne Public Law Group, the California City Management Foundation, Civiltec Engineering, the City of Grover Beach, the City of San Luis Obispo and the City of La Cañada Flintridge.

Molly is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional and Constant Contact Solutions Provider.

Kaetlyn Hernandez brings an inventive and supportive spirit to the Tripepi Smith team with a background in several industries, such as public affairs, entertainment and non-profit. She recently graduated from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Entertainment Arts with a minor in Public Relations. She developed her skills in leadership, event planning and marketing in her time at CSUF with on-campus experience in student government and several other clubs, and with off-campus internships with the Alzheimer’s Association and NBCUniversal. Her client work includes: City of Culver City, City of Indian Wells, Costa Mesa Sanitary District, Pivot Charter School, and Claremont McKenna College’s Rose Institute.

Kaetlyn is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional, certified Constant Contact Partner and has completed the following Udemy courses: ‘Ninja Writing: The Four Levels of Writing Mastery‘ and ‘Writing with Flair: How to Become an Exceptional Writer.’

Allison Torres brings a strong background in social media marketing and data analytics to the Tripepi Smith team. Allison graduated from Biola University with a degree in Business Management and flexed her leadership skills as a two-year captain of Biola Women’s tennis team. She gained experience in marketing and project management during the various internships she held. Previously, she executed social media marketing at TSE Worldwide Press. Her client work includes Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, Clean Energy Alliance, the City of Martinez and the City of Manteca. She is also working closely with Tripepi Smith clients on the 2021 redistricting process.

Allison is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional and Constant Contact Solutions Provider.

Anne Jang brings a tireless work ethic and commitment to quality to the Tripepi Smith team with a background in graphic design, marketing and public policy. She is currently a senior at Claremont McKenna College majoring in Government and Philosophy. She developed her skills in project management, event planning and marketing while studying at Claremont McKenna College with experiences with research institutes, several other clubs, and off-campus internships such as the Veterans’ Legal Institute and the Orange County Board of Supervisors. Anne is also certified in Hootsuite Social Marketing.

Danielle has previous experience with several industries: transportation, public affairs and non-profit. She graduated from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona (Cal Poly Pomona) with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communication with a minor in Public Relations. She developed her leadership and writing skills at Cal Poly Pomona with on-campus experience, such as Sports Editor of Cal Poly Pomona’s campus newspaper, The Poly Post, and as a Public Relations Intern for Patti Stanger from Bravo’s “Millionaire Matchmaker.” After graduating, Danielle developed her media and community relations skills at Metrolink and Arellano Associates, where she provided strategic communication support for transportation, private and non-profit clients. She has specific experience with large capital projects where she addressed proactive communications, staffed hotlines and developed routine processes to receive public feedback and address community concerns.

Danielle is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional. Her clients include Foster City, City of Manteca, CalChoice and City of Duarte.

Robert Jordan brings a wide range of experience to his position at Tripepi Smith. He is currently working on his Masters of Public Policy from Pepperdine University and received a dual degree in Journalism & New Media and Public Relations from California Baptist University. He developed his skills of multi-dimensional storytelling, digital analytics and public policy analysis as a Graduate Assistant at Davenport Institute at Pepperdine University, a Communications Intern at the City of Riverside Mayor’s Office and a Digital Media Intern at Cypress Fairbanks Independent School District in Texas.

Robert is a certified Hootsuite Social Marketing Professional. His work at Tripepi Smith includes producing the daily PublicCEO newsletter and managing the PublicCEO website.