Risa Hoag, Community Contributor

Risa grew up in Nanuet and graduated from Nanuet High School. She founded GMG Public Relations in 1991 in White Plains. GMG now has offices in Nyack, NY and Wilmington North Carolina. Risa has more than 35 years of experience in public relations and marketing. Prior to founding GMG Public Relations, she was a Director of Public Relations with Ernst & Young with responsibility for media placement, writing feature articles and press releases, developing and coordinating special events, market research, and the design and placement of advertising.

Risa has been active with numerous not-for-profit organizations. She is a co-founder and past President of the Greater Nanuet Chamber of Commerce and co-founder of the Chamber Alliance of Rockland. She is the former co-chair of the Marketing Council of the Rockland Business Association. She is a past President of the Rockland Business Women's Network (RBWN), a past board member of the Rockland Community Foundation, and a past board member of Meals on Wheels in Rockland and Chair of their annual gala. She held numerous board positions with the Westchester Association of Women Business Owners (WAWBO) over a fifteen-year period including President and twice received the organization’s President’s Award. She is a past Public Relations Chairperson for the Advertising Club of Westchester and has served on the board of the Orange & Rockland Community Investment Committee. She recently chaired the Marketing and Communications subcommittee of the Clarkstown Business and Economic Development Advisory Committee. She has served as a mentor to Rockland Community College students, Seton Hall University students through the University's Stillman School of Business, and serves as a mentor to students at University of North Carolina.

She is a member of the 2018 Class of Leadership Rockland and was the recipient of the RBWN Service Woman of the Year Award in 2017. She has also been honored with the 2019 Lillian Vernon Award for Community Service from the Women’s Enterprise Development Center and she received a 2019 Distinguished Service Award from the County of Rockland for her dedication and Community Service. In 2022 she received the New York State Empire Award for her decades of support for small businesses and non-profits.

Risa was asked in October of 2023 to sit on the National Small Business Association (NSBA) Leadership Council alongside other small-business advocates from across the country as they work to promote the interests of small business to policymakers in Washington, D.C.

Risa is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and a recognized seminar leader, presenting numerous public relations, marketing and social media workshops. An accomplished business writer and source, Risa has appeared on several radio and television programs and has been quoted and featured in numerous national and local publications.