Grace has lived in Gourock all her life and is on the education committee of Greenock Burns Club (The Mother Club). Educated at Greenock Academy and Jordanhill College, she had a varied career in primary teaching. As well as being a class teacher, she also spent several years, firstly as Arts Education Co-ordinator for Inverclyde Council and then as Principal Teacher and Literacy Coaching and Modelling Officer for the Scottish Attainment Challenge, which was seen as an exemplar for similar projects elsewhere. She worked in Oslo with the Norwegian Government’s successful Cultural Rucksack programme, ensuring that all pupils have opportunities to experience professional artistic and cultural productions. 

After taking early retirement, she spent 3 years as Education and Outreach Officer at the Watt Institution: Inverclyde’s museum and art gallery, before finally standing down in 2021. Since then, she had a tenure as a Chair of Children’s Hearings Scotland and she is also employed as a freelance education consultant for BBC Scotland Education and BBC Bitesize. She has a life-long interest in Burns which started with her participation in Inverclyde Music Festival performing Burns songs as a young girl.

When she is not busy with her various education projects, her interests include choral singing and performing arts. She was a member of Greenock's Toad Choir and Scottish Philharmonic Singers for many years and she has played many principal roles with Greenock Light Opera Club and others. She is married, with 3 children and a wee grandson.