Carolyn H. (Lyn) Grinstein was born in New York and grew up in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. She attended boarding school in Beirut, Lebanon, returning to the United States in 1962 to attend Skidmore College. After raising her family, she returned to school at the University of Washington, where she majored in psychology in the College of Arts and Sciences. In 1984, Mrs. Grinstein and her husband, Jerry, moved to Los Angeles and then to Fort Worth, Texas. In 1996, the Grinsteins returned to Seattle. Mrs. Grinstein serves on the boards of trustees at the Seattle Art Museum, Public Media Capital, Yale University Art Gallery and the American Community School of Beirut. In addition, she is a director and former chair of the UW Foundation Board as well as a former director of the Henry Art Gallery. At present, she chairs the development committee for the Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine at UW Medicine. In 2015, the Grinsteins received the highest honor bestowed upon volunteers at the University of Washington, the Gates Volunteer Service Award. Together, the couple have a large, four-generation family. They also collect 20th-century art and enjoy fly-fishing.