Carol Stoker Petzold was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended Valparaiso University, earning a B.S. in science in 1959. She taught in California briefly before moving to Maryland, where she taught at Montgomery County Public Schools from 1960-1962. She served as a legislative assistant starting in the mid-1970s for several Maryland congresspeople, as well as the Montgomery County Board of Education. On January 14, 1987, Petzold became a Maryland State Delegate for the 19th District of Montgomery County. She was a member of the Democratic delegation, and served until January 10, 2007.