Kelly Mullins
Law Office Administrator
Education.
- Buffalo State University, B.S. Business Studies, 2002
- SUNY Erie, A.A.S. Business Administration, 2000
Get to know Kelly.
Building a culture of caring.
As Kelly Mullins and her husband, firm partner Rob, were making their way back home to Buffalo after a recent trip, they knew that the city had gotten four feet of snow. You wouldn’t have been able to tell from their driveway, which had been plowed by a neighbor before they returned, allowing them to pull right in after a long travel day. That’s the thing about Buffalo: When the city gets buried, people don’t just clear their own driveways. They clear yours, too.
“There’s nothing like the people here,” Kelly says about her hometown. “They have true heart and grit. They take care of each other.”
Kelly brings that hardworking community spirit to every workplace she’s managed. Over more than 20 years in human resources, she has built her career on a simple truth: People don’t want to be bad employees, and with the right support, structure, and genuine care, they rarely are.
Kelly’s journey in HR began after earning her bachelor’s degree in business from Buffalo State University, initially drawn to the people side of operations. She started in workers’ compensation and disability claims, discovering her talent for guiding employees through some of their most challenging moments, from navigating complex benefits systems to managing health crises and family emergencies.
Contact.
Email:
kmullins@mullinsmcdonnell.com
Direct phone number:
716-936-7902
“All you can do is be there every step, making it as easy as possible for them,” Kelly says. “[Employees] are the ones actually dealing with it, and you just want to make sure they know their health insurance is going to be there, that there are things in place for their families.”
Kelly’s approach combines empathy with structure. She sees things in black and white when it comes to policy—everyone must be treated fairly and consistently—but she understands that behind every situation is a person with individual circumstances and needs. This perspective has fostered relationships that go beyond the 9-to-5. Even the spouses of former colleagues continue to reach out around the holidays to check in, a testament to the close bonds that Kelly forms.
Kelly’s career has spanned organizations from nonprofits with 500+ employees to mid-sized manufacturing companies, but Mullins McDonnell represents something entirely new. Leveraging her skills of mentoring and navigating difficult conversations with grace, Kelly will be architecting a workplace culture that reflects her hometown’s best qualities: straightforward communication, genuine relationships, and the shared dedication to pitching in and digging out.
