Kelsey abbruzzese, founder

Kelsey’s first published words in a newspaper came when she nominated her grandmother for a local “Citizen of the Year” award. Anna Abbruzzese won on the basis of her remarkable community service (not her 8-year-old granddaughter’s clumsy prose), but Kelsey loved seeing the power of the written word. Loads of books, classes, and school newspaper articles later, Kelsey earned her bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in Italian from Bowdoin College, and a master’s degree in print journalism from Boston University. She realized a deadline reporter’s dream, working for The Associated Press and The MetroWest Daily News on state government and economic issues. Prior to launching ZZ Ink, Kelsey served as the communications director for MassDevelopment, the Commonwealth’s finance and development authority. There, she oversaw press outreach, social media, and crisis communications for an agency investing more than $3 billion a year in the Massachusetts economy.

Kelsey is an alumna of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Women’s Leadership Program. As someone who participates in sprint triathlons, she has a huge amount of respect for women who compete in endurance sports — so much so that she and her college roommate did a podcast about it.

Kelsey is happy when she is outside, waterskiing, cooking, or reading, but her heart has the most joy experiencing any one of those with her husband and three sons.