[1] Ann Christine Bell was born in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, where she was raised.

[citation needed] She worked as a reporter and columnist for the Mount Pleasant News.

She served as executive director of the Initiative until February 2011, when she resigned to focus on exploring opportunities for seeking elected office.

[6] In October 2009, Vilsack told WHO-DT she was considering a possible run against Republican incumbent U.S. senator Chuck Grassley in 2010.

[7][8] A Research 2000 poll for the website Daily Kos, conducted just days after the interview, showed that Grassley led Vilsack 51 to 40 percent in a hypothetical matchup, placing her in a statistical tie with the declared Democratic party candidates Roxanne Conlin and Bob Krause.

[9] In April 2011, Vilsack formed an exploratory committee to prepare for a potential campaign for Congress in Iowa's 4th District.