Charlotte Zietlow and a motley crew of outsiders, tyros, activists, dreamers, and problem-solvers took over city hall in Bloomington, Indiana in 1971 and the town hasn't been the same since. A woman who frankly proclaims never to have planned her life, Charlotte has led many lives, serving as the Bloomington city council's first female president as well as becoming the first female president of the Monroe County Board of Commissioners. She has started and run her own business, Goods, Inc., a kitchen and culinary retailer. She has held important positions for the regional Planned Parenthood office, the United Way of Monroe County, and Middle Way House, a resource for people who have experienced domestic abuse. Her story reflects the growing influence of women in American public life over the last half century.