Ms. Stuart-Grimes is a self-proclaimed scientific tree-hugger and rational thinker. She was raised in the suburban New York City region, attending public primary school and private high school. She attended a small women's college in New England (when these were still affordable options for one's children) then moved to New York. Her mother – who was always occupied – turned her benevolent work into a full-time job in marketing and the organization of major public events. Her father was an executive with one of the major international public relations agencies.