Grell was the deputy general counsel to former governor Tom Ridge from 1995 to 2000. He sat on the House Judiciary, State Government, Insurance, and Labor Relations Committees. It was announced on May 14, 2015 that Representative Grell would be stepping down from the House of Representatives effective April 30, 2015 to serve as executive director of the Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS).[3]