Beth Wood

Beth A. Wood (born April 22, 1954) is an American politician and accountant who formerly served as the Auditor of North Carolina from 2009 until 2023. A Democrat, she is the first woman to hold the office. Born in New Bern, she initially worked as a dental hygienist before getting a degree in accounting in 1984. In the mid-1990s Wood took a job in the Office of the North Carolina State Treasurer, where she was responsible for approving audits of local governments. She later took a job in the office of the Auditor of North Carolina, and was promoted to head of the training division.

Wood successfully challenged incumbent State Auditor Les Merritt in the 2008 election and was sworn-in the following January. She was re-elected in 2012, 2016, and 2020. After being indicted on a misdemeanor charge of misusing a state-issued vehicle, Wood announced that she would resign as the North Carolina state auditor, effective December 15, 2023.

Early life Beth A. Wood was born on April 22, 1954, to Darrel Wood and Betty Wood in New Bern, North Carolina. She grew up in Cove City, North Carolina. She graduated from West Craven High School in 1972. She graduated from Wayne Community College with an Associate's Degree and worked initially as a dental hygienist.

In the mid-1990s Wood took a job in the Office of the North Carolina State Treasurer, where she was responsible for approving audits of local governments. In 1997, she applied for a position in the Office of the Auditor of North Carolina. She was not hired for the job, but State Auditor Ralph Campbell Jr. placed her in the office's training division. He later promoted her to head of the division. She continued to hold the post until she resigned in 2007 to challenge incumbent State Auditor Les Merritt in the 2008 election. She split her time between campaigning and working as an investigator for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. During the 2008 campaign Wood accused Merritt of making partisan investigations, Wood defeated Merritt in November by over 290,000 votes.

Tenure Wood was sworn in on January 10, 2009, becoming North Carolina's first female state auditor. She slowed the office's pace of investigative auditing in her first term, citing her desire to produce stronger findings. She was widely criticized for not expeditiously releasing an audit of Easley's salary from North Carolina State University, with her critics accusing her of protecting a fellow Democrat from scrutiny.

In 2013 Wood's office found that North Carolina spent the highest administration costs in the implementation of the Medicaid program among all the states. Auditors suggested that organizational issues in the Department of Health and Human Services led the state to spend $180 million more than necessary to administer the program. The release of the audit led to a public dispute between Wood and Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler, who disputed the report's findings, finding that a city councilman had used his office to suppress attempts by municipal workers to collect outstanding utility bills he owed. The bill was passed into law in December 2021. She released a statement on January 23, 2023, admitting to "personal responsibility" for striking the vehicle and leaving the scene. The North Carolina Republican Party formally called for her resignation, while several leading Republican and Democratic officials bemoaned the incident but avoided directly asking for her departure.

Wood later reimbursed the state and the owner of the other car for the damages and towing costs incurred, saying in a statement on February 28, "ll I can do moving forward is take responsibility for the accident and fix what was broken. The accident does not define me, nor does it take away from the phenomenal work we've done in my administration." On March 24, she pled guilty to the hit and run charge and was sentenced to pay a $100 fine and court fees. The unsafe movement citation was dropped. She admitted to the court that she had drunk two glasses of wine before the accident but insisted that she was not impaired.

Wood announced in November 2023 that she would not seek reelection to the auditor's office in the 2024 elections. After being indicted on a misdemeanor charge of misusing a state-issue vehicle, Wood announced that she would resign as state auditor effective December 15, 2023. She was replaced by Jessica Holmes via gubernatorial appointment on December 16. Wood later criticized the selection of Holmes, stating that her chief deputy in the auditor's office was better qualified to run the agency until the next election.

Later career After leaving the auditor's office, Wood became the director of rural government services at an accounting firm. Party Candidate Votes % Democratic Beth Wood (inc.) 2,259,436 50.07 Republican Chuck Stuber 2,253,394 49.93