Laura Ives Wiley is a former member of the

High Point, North Carolina High Point is a city in the Piedmont Triad region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of the city is in Guilford County, with parts extending into Randolph, Davidson, and Forsyth counties. High Point is North Carolina's only city that ex ...

city council, a former member of the

North Carolina House of Representatives The North Carolina House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the North Carolina General Assembly. The House is a 120-member body led by a Speaker of the House, who holds powers similar to those of the President pro-tem in the North ...

, and a former member of the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC Sys ...

Board of Governors. A

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or again ...

, she represented the state's 61st legislative district, which at the time encompassed southwestern

Guilford County Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population is 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest municipality, is Greensboro. Si ...

, a majority of the city of High Point, the town of Jamestown, and the unincorporated area of

Sedgefield Sedgefield is a market town and civil parish in County Durham, England. It had a population of 5,211 as at the 2011 census. It has the only operating racecourse in County Durham. History Roman A Roman 'ladder settlement' was discovered by ...

. She was first elected to the North Carolina General Assembly in 2004 after defeating eight-term Republican incumbent Steve Wood in a primary election. Wiley won an uncontested race in 2006, and defeated primary challenger George Ragsdale in 2008. She chose not to run for re-election in 2010 and is now retired from elected public office. She remained active in political and community activities, having served on the War Memorial Foundation Board of Directors, the High Point Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Senior Resources of Guilford Board of Directors. In March 2013 she was appointed by the

to serve a four-year term on the Board of Governors of the

system. In September 2016, she was named to The

Order of the Long Leaf Pine The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, created in 1964, is an honor that can be granted in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of 2021, it was believed the Order had been awarded to more than 21,000 people. The Order The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is ...

, which is among the most prestigious awards presented by the

Governor of North Carolina The governor of North Carolina is the head of government of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The governor directs the executive branch of the government and is the commander in chief of the military forces of the state. The current governor, ...

. The Order of the Long Leaf Pine is presented to individuals who have a proven record of extraordinary service to the state. Wiley had previously served on the High Point City Council since 2002, and before that was an active volunteer for both the High Point and Guilford County Republican Parties. She previously served on the North Carolina Republican Party's Executive Committee and on the North Carolina 6th U.S. Congressional District Committee. She is a retired educator who worked in

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to ...

schools prior to moving to North Carolina in 1997. Born in Twenty-Nine Palms, CA, she is the daughter of a career

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

officer. She is a graduate of the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

with a

B.S. A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in Education. She is married to Bruce C. Wiley, a retired business executive, and together they resided in High Point. They have two adult children, Adam & Andrew.

Electoral history

2008

2006

2004

References

External links

Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Twentynine Palms, California People from High Point, North Carolina University of Tennessee alumni Educators from North Carolina 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians Women state legislators in North Carolina Republican Party members of the North Carolina House of Representatives {{NorthCarolina-politician-stub