Filomena Fanelli

CEO/Founder

Impact PR & Communications’ Founder Filomena Fanelli is something of a publicity hound—particularly when it comes to getting the best media exposure for her clients.

She excels at what excites her, and that’s exploring the details of each client’s business to find the best, most unusual vein to mine for publicity. She loves storytelling and delves eagerly into company culture and context to determine what’s new or makes a client unique among competitors. Then she finds a fresh way to make it stand out in the overwhelming clutter of the media scene. Clients say she simply “gets it.”

Filomena got her start more than 27 years ago at Rubenstein Associates, where she quickly rose through the ranks to become the agency’s youngest vice president. Recognized as a top publicist, she worked on some of the firm’s major real estate and financial accounts, representing Belz Enterprises, Commerce Bank, Faith Hope Consolo (at both Garrick-Aug Associates and Douglas Elliman), Grubb & Ellis, Lansco Corporation, Studley and others.

Today, she channels that energy to lead her award-winning agency and help a diverse array of clients plot memorable events, secure speaking engagements, land leadership articles, craft sharp website content, engage in meaningful ways on social media and, of course, get their names in the news.

Being an entrepreneur is a family tradition, according to Filomena, who has been recognized for her own business leadership by PRNEWS, City & State, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Women’s Enterprise Development Center (with its Lillian Vernon Award), Westfair Business Journals, ATHENA Leadership Awards and Hudson Valley Magazine, where she graced the cover of its Women in Business issue. A past Forty Under 40 recipient and inducted into Dutchess Community College’s prestigious Alumni Hall of Fame, she says she gets her business acumen from her late father, who founded a delivery service company, but the gift of being able to listen and problem-solve comes from her mother, a social worker. Her parents also gave her a love of the fresh air and green of the Hudson Valley, where she lives with her husband and two daughters.

Filomena is an involved member of the community and enjoys volunteering with Hudson Valley nonprofit organizations and national professional associations alike. She serves on the executive board of the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Previously, she sat on the advisory board of the Hudson Valley Economic Development Corporation, on the boards of the Women’s Leadership Alliance and Hudson River Housing and on the executive committee of the Public Relations Society of America’s Counselors Academy. Filomena has served on committees for the American Heart Association, the Center for Prevention of Child Abuse (CPCA), Family Services, The Arc of Dutchess, the Mid-Hudson Children’s Museum and Special Olympics New York. She was also a founding committee member of HDSA Team Hope Walk – Hudson Valley, a community advisor for The Daily Voice and hosted HVNN.com’s news show, “Business Newsmakers.”

Filomena has presented for the Public Relations Society of America and the 92^nd Street Y, among other venues, and is a frequent guest lecturer at Marist University, where she has taught public relations writing as an adjunct professor and currently serves as the professional advisor to its Public Relations Student Society of America chapter.

 filomena@prwithimpact.com
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Kristin Delia

Senior Vice President

With over a decade of PR experience, Kristin is at home as vice president at Impact PR & Communications, where she oversees client strategy, leads account teams and drives the development of creative, results-driven campaigns. Known for her media expertise, strategic thinking and industry acumen, she plays a key role in delivering impactful outcomes for clients across the hospitality/tourism, commercial real estate, banking and nonprofit sectors.

Before joining the Impact team, Kristin was on the fast-track at CIIC PR, where her knack for the PR business brought her from a public relations assistant to account executive within a few years. She spent those years handling media outreach, coordinating press trips and planning media events for a variety of well-known brands, including Coney Island Brewing Co.; The Roundhouse in Beacon, New York; Mexico Grand Hotels in Los Cabos, Mexico and Opal Apples, among other food and beverage, tourism and hospitality, and lifestyle clients.

Her passion for travel has led her across the world, inspiring her to spend her student years interning at a 5-star hotel in Lake Como, Italy, and, following graduating magna cum laude from Niagara University’s College of Hospitality & Tourism, working at a luxury hotel in Westchester County. Combining her hospitality prowess with her love of media and storytelling made for a natural transition and, as they say, the rest is history.

Now in her eighth year at Impact, Kristin is a Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce Forty Under 40 recipient, graduate of the Chamber Foundation’s Leadership Dutchess Class of 2019, a member of the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) Counselors Academy and a Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) for Dutchess County, NY, an industry-recognized certification accredited through the Tourism Ambassador Institute®. Previously, she sat on the board as marketing co-chair for the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ Hudson Valley Chapter and served on several event committees for the The Arc of Dutchess. In her spare time, Kristin enjoys the company of her family and friends, scoping out the best local restaurants and traveling near and far.

kristin@prwithimpact.com
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Alli Long

Account Manager

A writer at heart, Alli pairs her passion for storytelling with her diverse communications expertise to bring a creative, results-driven approach to her role as an account manager. Clients benefit from her strategic thinking, sense of partnership and collaboration, and natural instincts for a good story.

Alli’s experience at Impact includes a stint as one of the company’s longest-running interns during her time as a student at Marist University, before joining the team full-time as an account executive. Throughout her Impact career, Alli has executed strategic campaigns for clients across a variety of industries, including banking, nonprofit, real estate, hospitality/tourism, and construction. From crafting compelling narratives to providing strategic insights, Alli helps clients hone their brand voice, strengthen their messaging, and cut through the crowded media landscape to reach their target audiences with clarity, conviction, and confidence.

Professionally, Alli’s career experience stretches beyond the public relations field. She previously served on the corporate communications team of a nationally ranked accounting firm, where she helped lead the organization’s internal and executive communications strategies. She has also served on the global communications teams of two pharmaceutical giants, where she authored articles, pitched journalists, assisted with event planning, and managed blogs.

Alli graduated from Marist University in 2019 with a Bachelor of Arts in English. Her passion for writing led her to move back home to New Jersey and pursue two master’s degrees – a Master of Arts in English and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing – from Monmouth University. She has served as an adjunct professor in Monmouth’s English Department, teaching advanced creative writing to undergraduates.

In her free time, Alli is a creative writer, an avid reader, and a burgeoning tennis player. She loves to travel, try new recipes in the kitchen, and spend as much time outside as possible.

alli@prwithimpact.com
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Cheryl Sloofman

Senior Account Executive

A news fiend and voracious reader, Cheryl relishes the strategy and planning involved in PR. Determining how a client’s story weaves into the news cycle, looking for unusual or compelling angles and helping clients stand out among their competitors are some of her strengths. As a senior account executive with the Impact team, she manages and services accounts, including real estate and construction, non-profit, finance and banking.

Raised in New York and now residing in northern New Jersey, Cheryl earned a master’s degree in public relations and marketing from Boston University and a master’s degree in education from New York University before taking time off to be a stay-at-home mom for her two sons. She resumed her career as a public relations consultant in 2008 and joined the Impact team in 2014. Cheryl is involved with Action to Cure Kidney Cancer and likes to run, hike and indulge her inner bookworm in her spare time.

cheryl@prwithimpact.com
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Isabella Paquette

Senior Account Executive

Isabella is a rising professional in the communications industry. In 2023, she began her career at Impact PR & Communications as an associate account executive before ascending to her current position. With an extensive background working closely with clients, crafting compelling narratives, and communicating directly with the press, Isabella is perfectly positioned to assist businesses and organizations in communicating clear, impactful messages.

In her career thus far, Isabella has broadcast the messages of federal, state, and local leaders to their constituents, ensuring their messages get people’s attention in the fast-paced media environment. In her work with non-profit, advocacy, and grassroots organizations, she has taken a hands-on approach to crafting campaigns that generate headlines and build lasting connections. From developing to executing media events and campaigns while juggling questions and comments from the press, her direct and creative approach helps clients’ messages reach their target audience.

A lifelong resident of the Hudson Valley, Isabella is a Marist College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science. In addition, she holds an associate’s degree in general studies from Dutchess Community College. During her college career, she participated in the highly competitive Disney College Program, where she received several leadership, efficiency and other professional commendations from guests of the Walt Disney World Resort and her peers at The Walt Disney Company.

As an active member of the Hudson Valley community, Isabella is a Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce Forty Under 40 award honoree, a Dutchess Tourism Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) and she serves on the Dutchess Community College Foundation’s annual gala, alumni relations and special events committees. Isabella is a U.S. Figure Skating Association Gold Medalist and certified figure skating instructor coaching every age group and level.

With a passion for advocacy and an eye for strategy, Isabella continues to use her skills to drive conversations that matter.

isabella@prwithimpact.com 
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Kayla Hannemann

Senior Account Executive

kayla@prwithimpact.com
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Paige Duffany

Associate Account Executive

Known for her ability to seamlessly support client deliverables and add to ideation, Paige Duffany was promoted to associate account executive in September 2025. Paige joined the Impact team as a public relations assistant in June 2023 and, following her graduation from Marist College in 2024, advanced to account coordinator. During her time at Impact, Paige has gained invaluable experience under the guidance of award-winning professionals, establishing a strong foundation that will support her continued growth in her new role.

While at Impact, Paige has successfully aided in client-facing projects and internal activations. She has contributed to the success of a well-attended event for local press and influencers, drafted and disseminated press releases, photo captions, letters to the editors and tailored pitches, as well as researched award opportunities and client insights. Internally, Paige contributed to Impact’s blog and social media content calendars.

At Marist, Paige pursued various opportunities that shaped her as a public relations professional. For a year and a half, she served as an account representative for North Road Communications (NRC), Marist’s student-run IMC firm, where she contributed to the internal publicity team and two non-profit accounts. She continued to hone her PR skills as an intern with Marist’s School of Communication and the Arts Center for Social Media, gaining hands-on experience managing and posting content to social media accounts, using Salesforce Social Studio and analyzing industry insights.

Originally from Connecticut with family throughout the Hudson Valley, Paige appreciates all the Hudson Valley has to offer, ultimately leading her to choose Marist to spend four years in the place she has called a second home. Paige enjoys hiking and taking in the beautiful views of the Northeast, exploring nearby towns and hotspots and being with her family and friends.

paige@prwithimpact.com
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Michelle Obligado

Senior Account Coordinator

Michelle joined Impact PR & Communications in 2016 after spending 16 years at IBM in the human resources department, where she liaised with and advocated for consultants making their way through IBM’s extensive consultant certification program. She also led implementation and training efforts related to business software.

An integral member of the Impact team, Michelle’s impressive interpersonal skills and technical savvy, along with her attention to detail and follow-up, make her an essential support person for her colleagues and Impact’s clients. From issuing press releases and tracking placements, to following up with clients and coordinating reports, Michelle enjoys the fast pace of the public relations world.

Born in the Bronx and raised in Westchester County, Michelle has been a Dutchess County resident for 23 years.  She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Business Management from Pace University.

Michelle lives in the Town of Poughkeepsie with her husband and three children.  In her off hours, she enjoys running, playing soccer, keeping fit at the gym, reading and spending time with her family and friends.

michelle@prwithimpact.com
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Bailey Fredericks

Account Coordinator

bailey@prwithimpact.com
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Sheila Bogan

Consultant

An ability to move people to action and evoke emotion is at the center of what Sheila Bogan does as a consultant for Impact PR & Communications. With sharp writing skills and social media savvy, Sheila holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies, Journalism and Digital Arts from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont. Those, combined with her on-point project management skills, creativity and ability to create community connections, are what make her an invaluable asset to the team and client partners.

As a full-time community development manager at the American Cancer Society (ACS), Sheila manages one of the nation’s largest Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walks in Westchester, NY — an event that brings together more than 20,000 people at Manhattanville College each fall. Since 2015, her diverse portfolio of events have raised more than $1 million for the not-for-profit.

Sheila’s interest and involvement in the community mesh well with what Impact stands for. She is a Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce Forty Under 40 recipient, Leadership Dutchess Class of 2019 graduate and co-chair for the Hudson Valley Young Professionals. In her spare time, Sheila, a Hudson Valley native and Dutchess County resident who enjoys spending time with her family, friends and cat named Shadow, volunteers for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and can be found raising a hand, and lending one, to various causes near and dear to her heart.

sheila@prwithimpact.com
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