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 CCMF and MMANC have recognized and awarded his support as a longtime partner.

Christine brings over 20 years of public sector experience in the providing exceptional service to local government. Prior to joining Tripepi Smith, Christine was the Assistant City Manager at 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.

Mike 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. Mike is passionate about local government and effective, ethical leadership.

Cathy is a Human Resources Executive with over 26 years of experience in the public sector. She has served as Director of Human Resources and Risk Manager for the City of Norwalk, Interim Director of Human Resources/Risk Management for the City of Westminster and Interim Human Resources Consultant with the City of Pinole. While working in local government, Cathy has worked on challenging staffing issues including recruitments, labor negotiations and employee relations. She has been responsible for risk management, training and benefits administration and has served on City Budget Teams involved in the difficult task of right-sizing staff and balancing budgets. She has also directed multiple class and compensation studies during her tenure.

Kylie Sun is a Business Analyst with Tripepi Smith. Kylie brings a diverse skillset to the team from her experience in several industries, such as litigation services, academic administration and music marketing. She graduated from Biola University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Management. She has a strong background in social media strategy, website development, writing and scheduling and high-volume operations due to her experiences as Administrative Assistant at Biola University, Marketing Intern at Transparent Productions, Social Media Marketing Manager at TSE Worldwide Press and Operations Associate at TSG Reporting.

As a strong communicator with a passion for both writing and public speaking, Sydney Fitch understands the role language plays in successful communication. She graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Communication and minors in Spanish and Digital and Social media studies from San Diego State University. During college, Sydney developed her interests in social media management, public relations, and intercultural communication. She grew her leadership skills throughout numerous executive board positions in college, and prides herself on being adaptive and able to work with all types of people. While holding her leadership positions, Sydney gained experience with event planning, correspondence and networking.