Her Story
About Elizabeth
Elizabeth Mullen is a Communications Specialist at Andrus, a nonprofit agency in Yonkers, New York, dedicated to trauma-responsive mental health and social services for children and families. After spending two decades raising her four children, Mullen returned to the workforce and was brought on to manage the organization's social media presence following a rebrand. Her role quickly grew beyond that initial scope, evolving into a broader focus on human-centered storytelling, branding, and community outreach designed to emotionally connect the public with Andrus's mission. Across her work, Mullen highlights the full breadth of Andrus's trauma-responsive programming, from residential treatment and specialized day schools to community mental health clinics throughout Westchester County. She speaks with particular passion about Healthy Families, a preventive initiative that supports mothers from pregnancy through their child's early years, helping build the kind of foundational stability that can spare children from needing residential care later in life. Her storytelling is grounded in a deep belief in equality and community, values she credits to the organization's leadership and to her own desire to give every child the same access to opportunity, education, and a lower-stress upbringing that she was able to provide her own children. Beyond her professional achievements, Mullen draws on a lifelong passion for photography and narrative that first surfaced in childhood and later resurfaced through a freelance business helping friends with social media and book launches. That path eventually led her to Andrus, reinforcing her conviction that a true calling often finds a person rather than the reverse. In recognition of her work, Mullen was selected as a featured honoree by Influential Women representing New York for 2026. Outside the office, she finds renewal in museums and philosophy, and balances her professional commitments with her role as a mother navigating the demands of a large family.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Elizabeth
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to faith, the support of my family, the leadership of our CEO, and perhaps a little bit of magic. Our CEO leads with a strong moral compass rooted in equality and community, and her dedication to the children we serve inspires me every day.
Gratitude is also a powerful source of inspiration for me. I am deeply grateful for the opportunities I have been given, and I want to help create those same opportunities for others. Seeing people grow, succeed, and step into new possibilities genuinely brings me joy. Making room for others is one of life’s greatest rewards.
Returning to work after 20 years of raising children once felt nearly impossible, but motherhood prepared me in ways no traditional job ever could. Mothers are the CEOs of their own families. They lead, organize, negotiate, solve problems, manage crises, and care for others, often all at once. Those skills have real value, both inside the home and in the workplace, and I believe society must do more to recognize and support them.
Raising my children has been one of my greatest blessings and inspirations. They keep me striving to become a better person, to give back, and to help create a better world for them and for every child..
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from an executive coach at Goldman Sachs: “Never turn down the volume on your instinct. It is yours, it is your expression, and the people who succeed are the ones willing to speak up.”
That advice has stayed with me because our instincts often lead us toward what makes us feel most alive. For me, that is photography and poetry. Both allow me to capture what might otherwise be missed: an unguarded expression, a fleeting emotion, the magic of natural light, or a feeling that everyday language cannot quite explain.
I have learned to trust my perspective and put my ideas into the world because no one else sees or experiences life exactly as I do. My advice to others is to trust your voice, speak up, and keep going. Disappointment and rejection may change your path, but they can also help you find a better way forward.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell young women never to underestimate their talents, especially the ones that make them lose all sense of time. I have always circled back to the things I loved as a child: photography and storytelling. The work you cannot put down at night because you care so deeply about finishing it may be pointing you toward your calling. Listen to yourself. Pay attention to what brings you alive. Even if you cannot immediately find a job that allows you to use your gifts, do not abandon them. Keep creating, keep growing, and keep sharing them, becaus
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the greatest challenges we face is the extraordinary ability of artificial intelligence to take over so much of our storytelling, imagery, photography, and art. While it is remarkable that technology can do these things, we must be careful not to depend on it so heavily that we lose our own voices.
The ability to articulate our thoughts, express our creativity, and share our unique perspectives is essential. AI presents a real challenge to fields such as communications, marketing, photography, and the arts, where more and more work can now be completed by technology. That is why we must establish thoughtful rules, clear ethical guidelines, and meaningful accountability as AI continues to evolve.
Efficiency is valuable, but it cannot replace authenticity. Human connection, individual expression, and the sharing of our lived experiences are essential to a healthy society. We should use AI as a tool, but never allow it to become the voice that tells our stories for us.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Equality, community, respect, and giving back are the values that guide me, but protecting children’s mental health is closest to my heart. Every child deserves the freedom to be a child: to feel safe, carefree, valued, and protected from the burdens and harm of the adult world.
My own childhood held both tremendous highs and difficult lows. Those experiences gave me perspective and helped make me strong, but they also taught me that hardship should never be treated as a requirement for resilience. Children should not have to suffer in order to grow. It is our responsibility to listen to them, respond with compassion, and create the safety and opportunities they need to thrive.
Respect is at the heart of that responsibility: respect for others, respect for yourself, and the courage not to lose sight of who you are by simply following the crowd. Know your value. Find your true north. And remember to laugh. Life is too short to carry every setback so heavily. We should live with purpose, perspective, and a little humor while doing everything we can to leave a safer, kinder world for the children who will inherit it.
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