Jim Shanley (Assiniboine) served as president of Standing Rock Community College (now Sitting Bull College) and later Fort Peck Community College, where he remained for 28 years. He was also one of the American Indian Higher Education Consortium's (AIHEC) early leaders. At the age of 29, he was appointed as AIHEC's executive committee president and made regular visits to Capitol Hill in an effort to gain federal funding for TCUs. After much toil, Shanley and his colleagues in AIHEC succeeded in their campaign as Congress passed the historic Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act in 1978. Although this landmark legislation has secured funding for TCUs, they still face great inequities, making AIHEC's continued efforts as vital as ever. Today, Dr. Shanley is retired, but continues to offer his expertise whenever called upon. He shared some of his insights and experiences "takin' it to the Hill.