Ben Shelly was the 7th president of the Navajo Nation best known for serving as tribal vice president from 2007 until being elected president making him the first person to hold both tittles in Navajo Nation. Shelly had a career training in heavy equipment maintenance and working as a supervisor for a heavy equipment company in Chicago before he moved to Navajo Nation in 1976. He opened maintenance and mechanic shop when he moved there. In 1991 he became a the Thoreau Navajo Nation councilman i... moreBen Shelly was the 7th president of the Navajo Nation best known for serving as tribal vice president from 2007 until being elected president making him the first person to hold both tittles in Navajo Nation. Shelly had a career training in heavy equipment maintenance and working as a supervisor for a heavy equipment company in Chicago before he moved to Navajo Nation in 1976. He opened maintenance and mechanic shop when he moved there. In 1991 he became a the Thoreau Navajo Nation councilman in 1991, and in 1993. He was known for campaigning for legalized gambling in Navajo areas. He also held other positions like chairman of the Budget, Finance Committee as well as serving 12 years as a McKinley County Commissione and served on the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Tribal Technical Advisory Group, Shelly became Vice President in 2006 and in 2010 he was elected President. His term ended in 2015, he ran again for the position but lost.
