![\"Abby](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Abby-Z-headshot_390w.jpg\")
Abby Zabrodsky \u201914, \u201919S (MBA)<\/p><\/div>\n
The phrase \u201cfamily first\u201d means a lot to Abby Zabrodsky \u201914, \u201919S (MBA). After nine years working at a large consumer products company in Buffalo, NY, she joined Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Inc. as its director of business development. In 1989, Abby’s father, John Zabrodsky \u201982<\/a>\u00a0founded the firm,\u00a0an engineering and manufacturing systems company that employs about 20 people, including Abby\u2019s mother, Kristy, who has been the company\u2019s chief financial officer since 2013.<\/p>\n For Abby, deciding to join the family business was a bit like coming home.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing a small company, everyone knows each other really well,\u201d she says, who lives in Buffalo and works a hybrid schedule. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of built-in trust, which is such an asset.\u201d This strong foundation is aided by the fact that Abby and her father operate in a similar way and are both Ä¢¹½´«Ã½-educated engineers. Working together with her mother, Abby adds, is an extension of their shared history.<\/p>\n Throughout her career, Abby has been dedicated to helping people and organizations thrive. This is evident in the workplace and as a volunteer leader. Since the Women’s Network launch in 2020, she’s been the cochair of its personal and professional development committee.\u00a0She’s also a member of the University’s Alumni Board; a mentor within The Meliora Collective<\/a>; a Reunion volunteer; a member of the George Eastman Circle, the University\u2019s leadership annual giving society; a champion for Rochester Athletics;<\/a>\u00a0and a former member of the Young Alumni Council. In 2022, she and her father jointly earned the University\u2019s John N. Wilder Award for their commitment to the University and in 2022, she was given the Department of Chemical Engineering\u2019s Young Alumni Award. Abby is also actively involved in her community, for instance, as the president of the ProZoo Board of the Buffalo Zoo.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”] I\u2019m grateful I can apply my engineering experience and business school knowledge to the family business. I\u2019m early in my career here and, right now, I\u2019m getting up to speed on the business. I consider myself lucky. Not many children get to work\u2014or maybe even want to work\u2014with their parents, but I do. It\u2019s a unique extension of our time together.<\/p>\n When I was growing up, my dad talked about Rochester all the time. So, when it came time to look at colleges, it was top of my list. I knew I could get a chemical engineering degree, run varsity track, and join clubs and groups, even be part of a sorority here. The undergraduate experience was more cooperative than competitive. Classes were hard and running was always challenging but those beside you were always cheering you on.<\/p>\n A few years into my engineering career, I decided to get an MBA, to round out my engineering and technical knowledge with deeper business acumen. Deciding on the University\u2019s Simon Business School<\/a> was another easy choice. Its rigorous yet flexible weekend-based executive MBA program<\/a>\u2014which wasn\u2019t too far from where I lived and worked in Buffalo\u2014was ideally suited to me. I could continue working, apply what I was learning every day, and even participate in some very distinctive learning experiences, such as weeklong\u00a0courses in China and Switzerland.<\/p>\n When Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA)\u2014with whom I had worked on the network\u2019s personal and professional networking committee\u2014asked me to step up, I was ecstatic. Being with women who encourage other women, hearing from people who have faced similar life challenges, and building connections\u2014it\u2019s all been so important in my life and career. I\u2019m excited to serve and support the people who benefit from the network\u2019s programs and community.<\/p>\n My parents have been great mentors for different and similar reasons. My dad is one because we\u2019ve taken similar steps as engineers, runners, and Ä¢¹½´«Ã½ board members. My mom always worked and took care of my sister and me yet always found time to be on boards that mattered to her. Their example has led me to be an active volunteer and prompted me to do such things as become a mentor within The Meliora Collective\u2019s mentorship program<\/a>.<\/p>\n I still run three or four times a week, just not competitively. I spin, too. I love an active lifestyle\u2014it\u2019s my release and what I need to do to reset my mood and clear my head. My husband, Ken Gilbert \u201914\u2014whom I met at Rochester\u2014is active, too, and we love to travel together. No matter what, I always have my head in a book\u2014in print or an audio version. I especially like books about sports and overcoming challenges.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#e9e5d7″ css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Running While Black<\/em><\/a>: Finding Freedom in a Sport That Wasn’t Built for Us, <\/em>Alison Mariella D\u00e9sir<\/p>\n Good for a Girl<\/em><\/a>: A Woman Running in a Man\u2019s World, <\/em>Lauren Fleishman<\/p>\n The Longest Race<\/em><\/a>: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike’s Elite Running Team<\/em>, Kara Goucher<\/p>\n The Nightingale: A Novel,<\/em><\/a> Kristin Hannah<\/p>\n The Hard Parts<\/em><\/a>: A Memoir of Courage and Triumph<\/em>, Oksana Masters[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_row_inner row_type=”row” type=”full_width” use_row_as_full_screen_section_slide=”no” text_align=”left” background_color=”#00205b” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column_inner][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n Learn more about the Women\u2019s Network<\/a>, The Meliora Collective<\/a>, Simon Business School<\/a>, and Rochester Athletics<\/a> along with its Women in Sports initiative<\/a>.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1693410364750{border-top-width: 1px !important;padding-top: 10px !important;border-top-color: #999999 !important;border-top-style: solid !important;}”]<\/p>\n \u2014Kristine Kappel Thompson, Summer 2023<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n [\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This chemical engineering major and MBA gives her all to her family, workplace, and alma mater<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":62,"featured_media":73692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,142],"tags":[272,322,332,172,1152,922,52,652,682],"class_list":["post-73452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-profiles","category-stories","tag-alumni","tag-athletics","tag-engineering","tag-entrepreneurship","tag-simon","tag-stories","tag-volunteers","tag-women-who-roc","tag-womens-network"],"yoast_head":"\n<\/i><\/span>
Abby is a star in many ways\u2014as a student, she excelled academically; ran varsity track for four years, and was always involved in campus life,\u201d says Karen Chance Mercurius, PhD, vice president of Alumni Relations and Constituent Engagement at Rochester. \u201cShe is just as committed as an alumna, always raising her hand to help make our University as strong as possible for our broad community.\u201d<\/span><\/h6><\/blockquote>[vc_empty_space height=”25px” image_repeat=”no-repeat”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” text_align=”left” css_animation=”” box_shadow_on_row=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Here, Abby talks about her career, University experience, volunteer activities, and what makes her run.<\/p>\n
![\"Abby](\"https:\/\/www.rochester.edu\/adv\/alumni-news-media\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Zabrodsky-2_600w.jpg\")
What do you enjoy most about working at Advanced Manufacturing Technology, Inc.? <\/strong><\/h3>\nWhy did you choose Rochester for two degrees?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Why sign on as co-chair of the Women\u2019s Network? <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Tell us more about mentorship and why it is important to you.<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What do you do when you aren\u2019t volunteering? <\/strong><\/h3>\n
Abby\u2019s Favorite Books<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Get involved<\/strong><\/h3>\n