Prior to joining Wallace, Ann was at the RAND Corporation where she specialized in arts policy research. Her research explored collection utilization in art museums, building participation in the arts, and how community-based arts programs promote prosocial behavior in at-risk youth. Her non-arts work at RAND spanned projects in higher education, child policy, and leadership development for the Army ROTC.

Before joining RAND, Ann worked at Mullin Consulting (formerly Management Compensation Group), a national firm specializing in executive benefits consulting for large companies. There, she held positions in financial analysis, client management, marketing, and government affairs. She has a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the RAND Graduate School of Policy Studies and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley.