Adrian Thorpe Harrold Wood is an American writer and educator. Wood worked as a community college

curriculum In education, a curriculum (; : curriculums or curricula ) is the totality of student experiences that occur in an educational process. The term often refers specifically to a planned sequence of instruction, or to a view of the student's experi ...

specialist and a researcher for special needs-inclusive

prekindergarten Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

programs prior to writing her blog, ''Tales of an Educated Debutante''. In 2025, she co-authored the book ''Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood''.

Early life and education

Wood was born and raised in

Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina. The city is east of Raleigh, the st ...

. She is the daughter of Dennis Blair Harrold, a doctor, and was raised in the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

faith. She had an older brother, Adam Russell Harrold, who died from cancer when he was nineteen. Wood was educated at Rocky Mount Academy until high school, when she attended

Salem Academy Salem Academy is a boarding and day school for high school girls in Winston-Salem, North Carolina Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the ...

, an all-girls boarding school in

Winston-Salem Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the fifth-most populous city in North Carolina and the 91st-most populous city in the Uni ...

, graduating in 1993. She studied Child Development at

Meredith College Meredith College is a private women's liberal arts college and coeducational graduate school Postgraduate education, graduate education, or graduate school consists of academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qu ...

and received a master's degree in Education and Early Intervention with a specialty in Inclusion from the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC, UNC–Chapel Hill, or simply Carolina) is a public university, public research university in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. Chartered in 1789, the university first began enrolli ...

. She was awarded a full scholarship and research assistantship with the Howard Hughes Foundation while working towards a doctoral degree in Educational Research and Policy Analysis at

North Carolina State University North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...

. In 1994, while a student at Meredith College, Wood was presented to

society A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...

at the

North Carolina Debutante Ball The Terpsichorean Club Debutante Ball, commonly referred to as the North Carolina Debutante Ball, is an debutante ball held annually in Raleigh, North Carolina. Hosted by the Terpsichorean Club of Raleigh, it is the oldest and most prestigious deb ...

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

Career

While an undergraduate student at Meredith College, Wood worked as a teaching assistant in various preschools in Raleigh, including a semester at the Waldorf Early School. After graduating from college, she worked as a preschool teacher at an inclusive preschool program, as a children's ski instructor in

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species in the Populus sect. Populus, of the ''Populus'' (poplar) genus. Species These species are called aspens: * ''Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (China, south of ''P. tremula'') * ''Populus da ...

, and as a nanny for the child of

John Oates John William Oates (born April 7, 1948) is an American musician, best known as half of the rock and soul duo Hall & Oates along with Daryl Hall. He has played rock, R&B, and soul music, serving as a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record ...

. As a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Wood worked as an early intervention assistant in

Wake County Wake County, officially the County of Wake, is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake Count ...

and as a student teacher at an inclusive

Head Start program Head Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive early childhood education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and families. It is the olde ...

. As a doctoral student, she taught undergraduate teaching fellows at North Carolina State University, worked in the office of the Provost, and worked as an evaluator with the Wake County Grants Department. Upon completing her doctorate in education Wood worked with

Frank Porter Graham Frank Porter Graham (October 14, 1886 – February 16, 1972) was an American educator and political activist. A professor of history, he was elected President of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1930, and he later became the fi ...

Child Development Institute in Chapel Hill as a research assistant and program evaluator, working on community college curriculum and gathering data for prekindergarten programs in New York and California. In 2016 Wood began writing the blog ''Tales of an Educated Debutante'' after a twenty-year hiatus from work. On her blog she writes about education, public policy issues, life in North Carolina, motherhood, and raising a child with special needs. She was a guest speaker at the

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

of Raleigh's general membership meeting, where she spoke on mental health. In 2017 Wood was a guest speaker at a fundraiser for Fans of Friendship House at Cape Fear Regional Theatre in

Fayetteville Fayetteville may refer to: *Fayetteville, Alabama *Fayetteville, Arkansas ** The Fayetteville Formation *Fayetteville, Georgia *Fayetteville, Illinois *Fayetteville, Indiana *Fayetteville, Washington County, Indiana *Fayetteville, Missouri *Fayette ...

. In 2025, Wood co-authored the book ''Autism Out Loud: Life with a Child on the Spectrum, from Diagnosis to Young Adulthood'' along with Carrie Cariello and Kate Swenson.

Personal life

Wood married Thomas Benbury Paxton Wood, an attorney from Raleigh, at St. Paul's Church, Edenton on October 5, 2002. They have three sons and one daughter. One of her sons is autistic. Wood and her family live in the Edenton Historic District and are parishioners at St. Paul's Church. Their home, the Joseph Hewes House, was built in 1756 and the property was once owned by

Joseph Hewes Joseph Hewes (July 9, 1730– November 10, 1779) was an American Founding Father and a signer of the Continental Association and U.S. Declaration of Independence. Hewes was a native of Princeton, New Jersey, where he was born in 1730. His paren ...

, a signer of the

United States Declaration of Independence The Declaration of Independence, formally The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen States of America in the original printing, is the founding document of the United States. On July 4, 1776, it was adopted unanimously by the Second Continen ...

. Wood converted to Anglicanism from Presbyterianism when she was forty-one. She serves as the

Parent Teacher Association A parent is either the progenitor of a child or, in humans, it can refer to a caregiver or legal guardian, generally called an adoptive parent or step-parent. Parents who are progenitors are first-degree relatives and have 50% genetic meet. A fe ...

president at her children's public elementary school. In April 2020 Wood voiced support of North Carolina Governor

Roy Cooper Roy Asberry Cooper III ( ; born June 13, 1957) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 75th List of governors of North Carolina, governor of North Carolina from 2017 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), De ...

for closing schools due to the

COVID-19 pandemic in North Carolina The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have reached the U.S. state of North Carolina on March 22, 2020. As of May 2021, North Carolina has the 10th highest number of confirmed cases in the United States. , 69% of the adult population in North C ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Adrian H. Living people 20th-century American educators American socialites American women bloggers American bloggers Academics from North Carolina Converts to Anglicanism from Presbyterianism Episcopalians from North Carolina Educators from North Carolina Meredith College alumni North Carolina State University alumni People from Rocky Mount, North Carolina Salem Academy alumni Special educators University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni 20th-century American women educators Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century American women