Carol Frogley Ellertson was born and raised in Salt Lake. Ellertson graduated from BYU in 1980 with BA in music with an emphasis in composition. Since then, she has also obtained a master’s degree in international and area studies and a PhD in philosophy of psychology. She was a member of the adjunct faculty at the BYU Marriott School in the Romney Institute of Public Management. 

Ellertson taught part-time at BYU and has been active in the community, especially in promoting music. She is married to Daniel N. Ellertson, and they currently reside in Provo. They are the parents of six children.