Jillian Balow

Balow was a division administrator in the Wyoming Department of Family Services.^[1]

Balow was president of the Council of Chief State School Officers.^[2] A Republican, she was elected as the Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction in 2014, winning 61% of the vote against Democrat Mike Ceballos.^[2] During her 2014 campaign, she opposed the Common Core initiatives.^[1] Balow ran unopposed in 2018.^[2] Her last day as the Wyoming superintendent was January 16, 2022.^[3] She was succeeded in the position by Brian Schroeder.^[4]

In January 2022, Balow was appointed by governor Glenn Youngkin as the Virginia superintendent of public instruction.^[3] She succeeded acting Virginia superintendent Rosa Atkins.^[2]

On March 1, 2023, Balow announced her resignation as Virginia's Superintendent of Public Instruction, effective March 9. Balow's tenure at VDOE was marked with high-profile fights over issues including revised state standards for history education and the treatment of transgender students in schools.^[5]

In January 2026, Balow announced that she would run for the U.S. House of Representatives in Wyoming's at-large congressional district as a Republican, seeking to succeed Harriet Hageman, who is running for U.S. Senate.^[6]