NRG People Power: Get to Know Kelly Lulek

Like many people in the industry, Kelly Lulek didn’t set out to work in energy.

An avid reader, one of her favorite books is Matthew McConaughey’s Greenlights, his memoir that reflects on the importance of paying attention to the signals life gives us — the moments that move us forward, slow us down, or ask us to change direction. One of the book’s simplest ideas is also one of its most useful: “Persist, pivot, or concede.”

Kelly’s path to becoming a business operations manager has included a bit of all three.

Earlier in life, she thought she might go into medicine — pediatrics, maybe, or physical therapy. What drew her to biology wasn’t only the subject matter; it was the way different systems worked together beneath the surface.

“In biology, especially when you think about the human body, you’re studying things that all function very differently — such as the endocrine, cardiovascular, or nervous systems — but have to work together to keep everything running,” Kelly said.

Years later, that same principle shows up in her work at NRG, though she herself hadn’t recognized the overlap before.

Kelly’s path to NRG wasn’t exactly linear. After earning her biology degree from the University at Buffalo, Kelly took a job in pharmaceutical sales. At first, the novelty made it appealing, but that didn’t last long.

“I enjoyed it for the first three months because it was new and exciting,” Kelly said. “And then after that, I dreaded going to work every day.”

A friend who worked at NRG encouraged her to apply, telling Kelly she thought the company would be a good fit. Kelly started as a junior business coordinator, and her role has grown from there.

Now, as a business operations manager supporting NRG’s commercial and industrial demand response (DR) team, Kelly connects the people and processes behind a complex customer experience. Demand response helps customers adjust energy use during times of high demand, supporting the grid while creating potential value for participating businesses.

“When everything is aligned, it creates a much better experience for both customers and internal teams,” she said.

Kelly leads sales support teams that work across the organization on process improvement efforts. Put more simply: they bring clarity and efficiency to complex challenges.

A typical day might include supporting contract reviews, guiding her team through operational questions, or collaborating across teams to streamline how information flows across the business.

What she found at NRG was not the career she originally imagined, but work that perfectly suited her: variety, problem-solving, and a team atmosphere with the opportunity to make things better. Little by little, her unexpected turn began to make sense.

Today, Kelly sees demand response and virtual power plants, or VPPs, at a turning point.

“Traditional DR programs aren’t always customer friendly,” she said. “Their rules, structures, and implementation can discourage participation, creating a major opportunity.”

Kelly has also played a key role in NRG’s integration with CPower, expanding its demand response capabilities as flexible, affordable energy solutions grow more important.

What stands out most to Kelly is how two companies with the same goal can approach the work differently.

“CPower does some things really well that we hadn’t considered, and vice versa,” she said. “The goal isn’t for one side to match the other. It’s to thoughtfully combine the best of both organizations to build something stronger.”

That mindset — curiosity, relationships, and finding the best path forward — shapes much of Kelly’s work.

When Kelly talks about what she loves most about working at NRG, she starts with her team, many of whom have worked together for years.

“I can truly say they are one of my favorite parts about working for NRG,” she said.

While they’re remote, most are still based in the Buffalo area, so Kelly tries to bring them together in person every couple of months, often for a Friday lunch or a local outing. They also share one particularly Buffalo form of bonding.

“Our love for the Buffalo Bills and the constant rollercoaster they put us through every season has brought us closer together,” Kelly said.

But the team culture runs deeper than football. Kelly credits their connection to trust, accountability, and the understanding that team members have each other’s backs when things get busy.

“There’s a lot of honesty, and people feel comfortable speaking up or trying something new,” she said. “It’s not about being perfect. It’s about being willing to figure things out together and learn along the way.”

Kelly grew up playing basketball and lacrosse, and her experience in team sports still influences how she works and leads today.

“One of the biggest lessons [from team sports] is that you really do get out what you put in,” she said. “Consistent effort matters.”

That mindset shows up in how her team works with both customers and internal partners:

“I want working with my team to always feel easy and positive,” she said. “That we’re approachable, knowledgeable, and collaborative, and that we’re genuinely trying to solve problems, not just pass them along.”

As the youngest of three, Kelly values time with her family. Her older sister Kara has long been a trusted source of advice, and she especially enjoys spending time with her three nephews and niece. Last Halloween, Kelly dressed up as the children’s television show character, Bingo, while her niece went as Bluey.

For fun, Kelly gravitates toward movement. She snowboards, hikes, and enjoys doing almost anything outside. She’s also training for a marathon, even though running isn’t exactly her favorite thing.

“I don’t love running, but I do it because it’s challenging,” she said. “That mindset shows up at work, too. Pushing through things that aren’t easy is often where the growth happens.”

But whether she’s outdoors or working through the next operational challenge at work, the throughline is clear.

Kelly persisted through the uncertainty of not knowing exactly where her biology degree would take her. She pivoted when pharmaceutical sales turned out not to be the right fit. And when a friend encouraged her to apply to NRG, she followed a greenlight into a field she never knew would be such a perfect fit.

Since then, her work has continued to ask for that same mix of determination and adaptability. Kelly’s comfortable in the uncomfortable, where things are still being figured out. And maybe that’s what makes her story so potent. She isn’t someone chasing a perfectly planned path — she’s seeing the whole picture and moving toward what makes the whole system work better, together.

One greenlight at a time.