In 1981, Kathy Gille arrived in Washington, D.C., as a legislative aide in the office of Congressman David Bonior of Michigan. As a speechwriter, researcher, and policy and communications advisor, she rapidly became an integral part of his congressional staff. In this interview, she recalls her political awakening in the Detroit student movement of the late 1960s and her wide-ranging work in Congress as one of the first women to supervise a Whip operation in the House. Drawing from more than two decades of experience, Gille describes the working life of women staff in Congress. She discusses her foreign policy work for Congressman Bonior on the House Democratic Task Force on Central America, which worked to end the wars in Central America during the 1980s. Gille also reflects on the pivotal victory of the House Republicans in the 1994 election, as well as the Democratic transition to the minority in the House. She explains the workings of the Democratic Whip’s office under Congressman Bonior from 1991 to 2002, including her day-to-day activities on the House Floor, the mechanics of “whipping a bill,” and the role of the Whip in key votes, such as the 1993 vote to implement the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).