ABOUT

Dr. Justin Grimes, born and raised in Little Rock, AR, is currently employed at Virginia Tech as the Leadership and Inclusion Associate for the Translation Biology, Medicine, and Health Graduate Program at Virginia Tech. He is the founder of Stick With It LLC, an education and consulting business that connects individuals and organizations to information and resources to build momentum toward success. As a scholar, his research centers on mentorship, successful dissertation completion strategies, the impact of racism on college students, Black men’s motivation to pursue doctoral degrees, and Black college men’s identity development.  Dr. Grimes serves as a member of the 2021 editorial board for the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., and several local grassroots social justice organizations in Southwest Virginia.  He is married to Dr. Tameka Grimes, an assistant professor in the Counselor Education Graduate Program at Virginia Tech. Dr. Grimes went from a low ACT, low GPA, and low GRE score to completing three degrees, including a doctorate.  For the past few years, he’s been working in graduate education and coaching individuals about getting into graduate school and thriving toward the finish.