Kristen Anne Ferraro was born in Springfield, Massachusetts to Ralph, an educator and writer, and Anne Marie, a nurse and hospice chaplain. She is a proud first-generation Italian-American, with her father born in Martone, Reggio Calabria, Southern Italy, and her mother of Irish, English, and French descent, a former Catholic nun.
As a child, Kristen began her journey in the performing arts, starting in local theater productions at the age of 10. She went on to actively perform in leading roles in both straight plays and musicals throughout Western Massachusetts and Connecticut, winning awards at the ages of 14 and 16 for her roles in "Artichoke" and "Graceland". Upon high school graduation, she was the recipient of several art scholarships for her long-standing presence as a performer in theaters throughout Western New England, with close to 50 roles under her belt.
During her college years, Kristen consistently played lead roles in summer stock, university musicals, and was often a featured soloist in inter-collegiate chorale concerts. She was named one of the country's most talented college students by "Who's Who Amongst College and University Students". After graduating from Bay Path University, she headed to New York City where she studied the Meisner Technique at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theater.
After completing the first year of the program, Kristen was accepted as a 2nd year student among a small and select group of students. At the NP, she studied with well-known industry powerhouses such as Richard Pinter, Ron Stetson, Gary Ramsey, Ian McRae, and Ron Shetler. She quickly began working professionally, after graduation, and headed out on the National Tour of "To Kill a Mockingbird" in the lead role of "Scout". Following works included the leading roles in an independent-feature film, multiple NYC-area theater performances, and spending lots of time learning on-set doing TV extra and stand-in work.
After entering the corporate world, Kristen spent time working as a successful business professional in the areas of creative direction, strategic marketing, and communications at companies such as NBC, Forstmann Little & Company, MassMutual, and Cigna. While running her marketing firm, she was honored with the "40 Under 40" award for her business and non-profit contributions in New England under her former married name Kristen Kellner (Kellner Consulting). Kristen also holds a BS, Business Mgt., from Bay Path University, Longmeadow, MA. In October 2018, Bay Path University presented Kristen with its "Young Alumni Award" for her ongoing success in business, philanthropy, and the arts.
Today, Kristen makes her home in the Northeast, USA.
