LeAnn Wood, a Republican, is running for reelection to the Utah State Board of Education representing District 4. She faces Democrat Heather Dopp in the Tuesday, Nov. 3 general election.

Candidate information

  • Party: Republican
  • Residence: Kaysville, Utah (nearly 20 years), according to her campaign website
  • Education: Bachelor of science in zoology, Brigham Young University (1993); certificate in introduction to family engagement in education, HarvardX (2021); master's in public administration, Southern Utah University (2026), according to BallotReady
  • Family: Married to Darren Wood. Five children. Also a grandmother, according to her campaign website

Experience and public service

Wood has served on the Utah State Board of Education representing District 4 since 2023, according to BallotReady. She said she has served as the board's 2nd vice chair since 2025.

Before joining the board, Wood said she spent more than a decade in volunteer leadership with the Utah PTA. She said she served as education commissioner (2016–2019), advocacy vice president (2019–2023) and legislative advocacy committee member (2012–2023).

Wood earned her BYU zoology degree with an emphasis in teratology, the study of birth defects, according to the Utah State Board of Education website. She co-authored a publication titled "Teratology Techniques, Seegmiller & Wood" and said she worked as a research assistant in developmental toxicity studies from 1991 to 1993.

Wood has also worked as a traveling day camp program director at Trapper Trail Council, B.S.A., according to BallotReady.

Wood's awards include the Martha Hughes Cannon Award for Outstanding Work in Policy and Advocacy (2025), the Council for Exceptional Children Political Advocate Award (2025) and the Elbert K. Fretwell Outstanding Educator Award (2024), according to her campaign website.

On the issues

Public education funding and local control: Wood said she is "a strong supporter of Public Education" and believes a fully funded system gives more children the opportunities they need. She said the legislature's primary role in education "should be simply to fund it" and that general control should rest with the state board, while curriculum and program decisions belong at the district and school level.

Utah Core Standards: Wood said she supports the Utah Core Standards. She said the state's standard-setting review is "long and thorough, always involving input from parents, teachers, and community members throughout the process."

Family-school partnerships: Wood said effective family-school-community partnerships benefit students through higher grades and better engagement. She said they also benefit educators through increased job satisfaction and benefit communities by making them better places to raise children.

Teacher and administrator support: Wood said board policies need to "build teacher capacity and empower teachers to meet the individual needs of students." She also said policies should help build strong school administrators who support teachers and student learning.

Endorsements

Wood lists the following endorsement on her campaign website:

  • Gary Herbert, former governor of Utah

Candidate responses are drawn from Wood's campaign website and her BallotReady questionnaire answers.