Charles L. Grizzle (Charlie), a native of Argillite, Kentucky, in Greenup County, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1973. He spent nearly a decade in banking in Louisville, during which time he was involved in numerous political campaigns, including Deputy Chairman for the Reagan campaign in Kentucky in 1980. Following a brief stint as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Kentucky, Grizzle moved to Washington, D.C., to accept a position in the Reagan Administration at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1988, President Reagan nominated and the U.S. Senate confirmed him to be an Assistant Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

During Grizzle’s time at the EPA, his outstanding leadership was recognized by organizations such as The Privatization Council, the International City Management Association, and the President’s Council on Management Improvement. He also was selected to attend the Senior Managers in Government Program at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government.

In 1993, with Richard Cantor, Grizzle founded The Grizzle Company, a federal government relations consulting firm where he represents a number of Kentucky interests in the nation’s capital as well as companies and associations on a variety of legislative and regulatory matters.

Grizzle is a past president of the Kentucky Society of Washington and of the University Club of Washington. In 1998, through the Kentucky Society, he established the Henry Clay Distinguished Kentuckian award along with the Henry Clay Internship in Public Policy. Currently, he serves on the board of the Henry Clay Center for Statesmanship.

In addition to being a lifetime member of the UK Alumni Association, Grizzle was the founding donor of the Arts and Sciences International Education Fund, and was recently named to the A&S Capital Campaign Committee.