{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n\nDeena A. Hayes-Greene is the incumbent District 8 member of the Guilford County Schools Board of Education and is seeking re-election in the November 3, 2026 general election; the Democratic primary for the seat was cancelled, advancing her automatically to the general-election ballot, according to Ballotpedia [1].\n\n## Background and education\n\nHayes-Greene earned her bachelor's degree from Guilford College in 2004. She first ran for \u2014 and won \u2014 a seat on the Guilford County school board while still a student there, an experience she has described as \"transformational\" [2]. She co-founded the Racial Equity Institute, a nonprofit focused on racial-equity work in education and beyond [2].\n\n## Career\n\nHayes-Greene was first elected to the Guilford County Board of Education representing District 8 in 2002, according to Ballotpedia [1], and has been repeatedly re-elected since; she ran unopposed for a new term in 2022, winning with 11,466 votes [3].\n\nShe has held the board chairmanship multiple times during her tenure, including through the 2020-21 school year when the board approved an $829 million budget [4], and was re-elected chairwoman in December 2022 [5].\n\n## Legislative record and accomplishments\n\nAs chair, Hayes-Greene has emphasized fiscal responsibility, equity, and safety. She led budget discussions balancing academic programs with student-support services [4]. At a 2023 Guilford Dialogues panel, she said progress on educational gaps requires \"greater understanding and inclusion\" extending beyond schools into housing, health care, and other community sectors [2]. After a wave of threatening emails and voicemails targeted district leaders, she publicly addressed safety concerns and called for protective measures for staff and board members [6].\n\nIn a 2023 opinion piece, Hayes-Greene wrote that the board is \"ready to seat a Republican,\" provided the candidate aligns with the board's mission [7].\n\n## Sources\n[1] [Deena Hayes-Greene - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Deena_Hayes-Greene)\n\n[2] [Deena Hayes-Greene '04 has spent the last two-plus decades \u2014 Guilford College](https://www.guilford.edu/news/2023/03/guilford-was-transformational-experience-dialogues-panelist)\n\n[3] [Two newcomers, three incumbents win seats on the Guilford County Board of Education \u2014 WFDD](https://www.wfdd.org/story/two-newcomers-three-incumbents-win-seats-guilford-county-board-education)\n\n[4] [Guilford Board of Education reelects Deena Hayes-Greene as chairwoman and passes $829 million budget for the 2020-21 school year \u2014 greensboro.com](https://greensboro.com/news/education/guilford-board-of-education-reelects-deena-hayes-greene-as-chairwoman-and-passes-829-million-budget/article_a86b8644-39aa-11eb-9c7d-1ff55d1de6a9.html)\n\n[5] [Hayes-Greene reelected as chair of Guilford school board; Jenkins vice chairwoman \u2014 greensboro.com](https://greensboro.com/news/local/hayes-greene-reelected-as-chair-of-guilford-school-board-jenkins-vice-chairwoman/article_06c99ca8-7bc1-11ed-8b3a-d3cced81ad20.html)\n\n[6] [Guilford County Schools discusses safety after series of vitriolic emails and voicemails targeting district leaders \u2014 greensboro.com](https://greensboro.com/news/local/education/guilford-county-schools-discusses-safety-after-series-of-vitriolic-emails-and-voicemails-targeting-district-leaders/article_34f149de-d5e9-11eb-9027-db4d52654ba3.html)\n\n[7] [Deena Hayes-Greene: We're ready to seat a Republican on the school board, just not this one \u2014 greensboro.com](https://greensboro.com/opinion/columnists/deena-hayes-greene-were-ready-to-seat-a-republican-on-the-school-board-just-not/article_132e07a8-b308-11ed-95d6-f744b4872eb8.html)","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_08","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 03 Nov 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"NC","title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 08"}],"cf_filings":[],"firstname":"Deena","fullname":"Deena Anita Hayes-Greene","lastname":"Hayes-Greene","middlename":"Anita","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_08","contest_title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 08","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"guilford","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"}],"county":"guilford","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_district_08","contest_title":"Guilford County Board Of Education District 08","county":"guilford","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-11-03","office_county":"guilford","office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","party":"DEM","pgr":"general","state":"NC"},"party":"DEM","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board","office_title":"County School Board Member","state":"NC","terms":[]}],"summary":"Deena Hayes\u2011Greene, incumbent District\u202f8 school\u2011board member and chairwoman, is running for re\u2011election in 2026, emphasizing equity, fiscal responsibility, and safety.","terms":[],"token":"706d1557d6b55a8e"}