Julie Grimes

As the University of Mississippi s first female Newman Scholar, Julie Grimes graduated in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in philosophy and French. Grimes was a Taylor Medalist and was inducted into the Ole Miss Student Hall of Fame. She then attended Harvard Law School, where she served as deputy editor in chief of the Harvard International Law Journal.

After graduating from Harvard in 1995, she clerked for Judge Rhesa H. Barksdale on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which hears federal cases from Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. Grimes then practiced corporate law for three years at Winthrop, Stimson, Putnam & Roberts in New York City, where she worked primarily on international and domestic transactions in the areas of securities, finance, and mergers and acquisitions.

Currently, Grimes of New York City is chief executive officer and founder of TravelCharts.com, an Internet company in the travel industry. Her passion for travel as a means of education stems from her studies in France and Spain and extensive travels in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Africa. Previously she worked for the U.S. trade representative in the Office of Europe and the Mediterranean, USAID in the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, and the NATO Information Office. Grimes was a 1990 Truman Scholar based on her work in public service and currently serves as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, which promotes understanding of international issues.