frank kelly III

Frank Kelly III

Francis X. (Frank) Kelly III serves as CEO of Kelly & Associates Insurance Group, Kelly & Associates Financial Services (Kelly Benefits Payroll) and Kelly Integral Solutions—collectively known as Kelly Benefits.


Kelly Benefits has evolved into one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing providers of benefits administration and technology, broker and consulting services, payroll solutions and comprehensive tools and strategies to serve businesses of all sizes. Since Frank was named President in 1994, Kelly Benefits has grown from a corporate client base of 1,000 to more than 10,000. Annualized premiums and payroll administered and under management have risen from $20 million to over $4 billion.
A long-time board member and past president of both the Baltimore Association of Health Underwriters (BAHU) and the Maryland Association of Health Underwriters (MAHU), Frank III has earned professional designations as a Registered Employee Benefit Consultant (REBC), Registered Health Underwriter (RHU), Health Insurance Associate (HIA), Life Underwriting Training Council Fellow (LUTCF) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU). Frank was honored as the BAHU person of the year in 2001 and inducted into the MAHU Hall of Fame in May 2012.


Frank obtained his insurance license in 1984 while still in college and worked at the company in telephone sales during the summer months. Two years later, after graduating from college, he became an account executive for small businesses in trade associations. In 1988, Frank was named Sales Manager and then in 1989, Vice President of Sales for the company. When he was promoted to Executive Vice President in 1991, he assumed responsibility for overall marketing and all operations of the company. In 1994, Frank was named President of Kelly Benefits; in 2007, he was named CEO.


Outside the office, Frank is involved in many community and civic activities. He served as Chairman of the Maryland Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) and on FCA Lacrosse Leadership Boards for nearly 20 years as well as served on the FCA National Board of Trustees from 1997 to 2003 and 2014 to 2020. Frank was inducted into the FCA Hall of Champions in 2013 and the FCA Ring of Honor in 2016.


Frank also serves or has served on many non-profit boards, including Calvert Hall College High School, Calvert School, USA Lacrosse Foundation, The Maryland Zoo in Baltimore, Living Classrooms Foundation, Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, Greater Baltimore Committee, AFRO Charities, Inc., Baltimore City FCA Board of Advisors and the World Vision Leadership Council. Frank was elected into his alma mater, Calvert Hall College High School, Hall of Fame in 2013, and was inducted into the US Lacrosse Greater Baltimore Chapter Hall of Fame in 2018.


Frank and his wife, Gayle, recently served as co-chairs for Helping Up Mission’s $61 million “Inspiring Hope” campaign to build a new 75,000 square foot Center for Women & Children in East Baltimore. The new facility provides more than 200 women, struggling with poverty, homelessness and addiction, and their children a place to call “home” while receiving the help they need. Frank also helped lead and complete a campaign to build the FCA Park Heights football and cheerleading teams a new “Park Heights Saints Community Center” at 4804 Reisterstown Road in Baltimore, Maryland. The renovated rowhouse/center was dedicated on March 20, 2019. 


A 1986 graduate of Cornell University with a degree in business management, Frank was recognized as a Red Key Scholar Athlete, played football and captained the lacrosse team, where he was an All-Ivy League selection. His interest in lacrosse continued after college with several seasons of professional box lacrosse for the Baltimore Thunder of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League and many years with The Maryland Lacrosse Club, where he was an All-Club selection.  
Frank was an assistant football and lacrosse coach for many years at Calvert Hall College High School in Towson, Maryland and has coached youth teams in soccer, football, basketball, baseball and lacrosse. Frank and Gayle are the proud parents of Frankie and his wife, Acacia (and proud grandparents of their son Quin); Stephen and his wife, Caroline; Jacqueline Lee and Joseph Kim. They live in Lutherville, Maryland.