After graduation, Gieseke was named general counsel to the Illinois Commissioner of Banks and Trusts, later joining the Chicago law firm Hopkins & Sutter.
While in the House, Wood served on the Aging, Appropriations-Education, Financial Institutions, and Labor & Commerce committees, as well as the Legislative Research Unit.
[4] As Lieutenant Governor, Wood was a frequent advocate across Illinois on several prominent issues, including rural affairs, economic development, and women's health.
[5][6] She also launched a statewide campaign to increase funding for breast cancer research through the "A Check for a Cure" Illinois tax return check-off when she first entered office.
Her fellow GOP contenders were attorney general Jim Ryan and state senator Patrick O'Malley.