Major General William F. Grimsley

Will Grimsley graduated from Davidson College in North Carolina in May 1980 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and was commissioned into the U.S. Army as an Infantry officer.

Over the next 33 years, he served in assignments across the United States, Germany, Korea, Kuwait, and multiple combat tours in Iraq, along with operational deployments worldwide. Grimsley held command and leadership positions at every level, from platoon to corps, and served on staffs ranging from small units to the Joint Staff. He also served as Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, with his final tour as Chief of Staff of the United States Strategic Command. Among his numerous awards and decorations, Grimsley received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, multiple Bronze Stars, and the Purple Heart for wounds sustained in combat. He also earned the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Combat Action Badge.

Grimsley completed all levels of officer education and training. The Army provided him the opportunity to earn two master’s degrees: one in Advanced Military Arts and Sciences and another in National Security Strategy. He also completed executive education at the University of North Carolina Business School. Utilizing his GI Bill benefits through the Veterans Administration, he earned a Doctor of Education degree from Creighton University, concentrating on organizational leadership.

Retiring from active duty in 2013 as a Major General, Grimsley consulted in the private sector for several major multinational corporations, focusing on training, leadership development, corporate strategy, and operational planning. He was a senior mentor in joint military and national security exercises and experiments. He also served as the President and CEO of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon Foundation, a nonprofit organization providing scholarships and leadership development opportunities for young fraternity members. Most recently, Grimsley served as South Carolina’s first Secretary of Veterans Affairs, a governor-appointed and state senate-confirmed cabinet officer. He has since returned to the private sector, consulting in leadership development, executive coaching, strategic and operational planning, and organizational design. An Eagle Scout, he serves on the Executive Board of the Coastal Carolina Council of the Boy Scouts of America and was honored with the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in August 2018. Additionally, he is a certified South Carolina Lowcountry Master Naturalist and a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest award for service.

He and his wife, Jan, reside full-time on Harbor Island, South Carolina, in Beaufort County. They enjoy boating, kayaking, fishing, and spending time on the beach. They have two sons, Ben and Luke, a daughter-in-law, Betsy, and two grandsons, William and Preston.