Diane Livingston (Utah)

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Diane Livingston

Unaffiliated

Elections and appointments

Last election

November 5, 2024

Education

High school

Silver Creek High School

Bachelor's

Brigham Young University, 1986

Graduate

Utah State University, 2023

Personal

Birthplace

San Jose, CA

Profession

Educator

Contact

Campaign website

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Diane Livingston (unaffiliated) ran for election to the Utah State Board of Education to represent District 6. She lost in the general election on November 5, 2024.

Livingston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Diane Livingston was born in San Jose, California. She earned a high school diploma from Silver Creek High School, a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in 1986, and a graduate degree from Utah State University in 2023. Her career experience includes working as an educator and independent historian.

Elections

2024

See also: Utah State Board of Education election, 2024

General election

General election for Utah State Board of Education District 6

Incumbent Carol Barlow Lear defeated Diane Livingston in the general election for Utah State Board of Education District 6 on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Carol Barlow Lear (D)	72.6	77,940
		Diane Livingston (Unaffiliated)	27.4	29,477

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 107,417
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

The Democratic primary election was canceled. Incumbent Carol Barlow Lear advanced from the Democratic primary for Utah State Board of Education District 6.

Democratic convention

Democratic convention for Utah State Board of Education District 6

Incumbent Carol Barlow Lear advanced from the Democratic convention for Utah State Board of Education District 6 on April 27, 2024.

		Candidate
✔		Carol Barlow Lear (D)

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Livingston in this election.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Diane Livingston completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Livingston's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I am a longtime member of our community with a passion for, and years of experience in, K-12 education. Over the past months, I have conducted my own ‘listening tour’ with hundreds of parents, teachers, principals – even superintendents – and community members here in District 6. I hear over and over again that education has to take priority over politics. Many have also expressed surprise that I – a candidate for the State School Board – want to hear what they have to say. But being in the community and hearing what others have to say is not just a campaign tactic – it is how I want to serve. My campaign is about developing key relationships with educators, parents, and state leaders and nonprofits to make decisions that reflect the needs of stakeholders in our state. I also am concerned with finding creative solutions to the new challenges in education today. We cannot enjoy the status quo any longer.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Over the past months, I have conducted my own ‘listening tour’ with hundreds of parents, teachers, principals – even superintendents – and community members here in District 6. I hear over and over again that education has to take priority over politics. Many have also expressed surprise that I – a candidate for the State School Board – want to hear what they have to say. But being in the community and hearing what others have to say is not just a campaign tactic – it is how I want to serve. My campaign is about developing key relationships with educators, parents, and state leaders and nonprofits to make decisions that reflect the needs of stakeholders in our state.
• We have seen the proficiency levels in our state drop in many areas over the past several years. Many factors have led to this reduction. It is for us to look closely at these factors and strive to support local districts in their work to close proficiency gaps and growth gaps while helping each student rise to their individual capacity. I have an earnest desire to use data and careful research to help in this area.
• I prioritize community needs over politics, ensuring decisions are made with the best interest of students and families at heart. As an unaffiliated candidate, I have a unique position to look for ideas and solutions without regard to politics.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Rather than coming in with an agenda of my own, my passion is to discover what is important to my constituency and address those needs. I feel strongly that a district representative has the responsibility to seek out the voices in her community, listen, and make informed policy decisions accordingly. Having said that, our district has a variety of viewpoints. I aim to bring those to the table and nuance policy based on these variety of viewpoints. In this manner, all can feel represented if not always having their way. It is about compromise and working together.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I feel like one of the most important qualities I can bring to the table is my ability to respect others' opinions and listen. I am open-minded and strive to see issues from many angles and able to admit when I'm wrong or have a blind spot in my views.

I am service-minded. I have a passion for helping others and when I see a need, I strive to find ways to fill them.

I have no time or energy for backstabbing or dishonesty of any kind. We must support each other despite our differences.

I am a researcher and enjoy digging deep into data. I believe in backing up positions with data.

I am a people gatherer and unifier. There are subsets of things we all agree on. My aim is to focus on those and place efforts in places people can get behind. In this way, we can work together to get important things done for education.

I am an energizer. I am excited about education and that excitement is contagious. I have the drive to work night and day when necessary to get things done.

Are there any little-known powers or responsibilities held by this office that you believe more people should be aware of?

Most people are unaware that our Utah Constitution gives the Utah Board of Education equal power with the Governor and the Legislature when it comes to education. It is vital that the Board exerts this authority in order for the students in our state to be best served. The Board and their staff are positioned to know what needs to happen for good education in Utah and they deserve an equal seat at the table when laws are being considered and created. I applaud the work they do and support their efforts to drive good legislation through their knowledge of the present state of local districts and the needs of students in the state. In addition, where there is coordination by USBE with Superintendents, School Boards, legislators, and other stakeholders, streamlined goal setting and effort can ensure better educational outcomes.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Diane Livingston campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Utah State Board of Education District 6	Lost general	$44,374	$-43,633
Grand total			$44,374	$-43,633
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete

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Candidate

Utah State Board of Education District 6

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