Dr. Mills came to OSU in 1998 from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was Chair of the Department of Folkore and Folklife. She is widely regarded as a leading specialist in the popular culture of the Persian-speaking world.Her book, Rhetorics and Politics in Afghan Traditional Storytelling, won the 1993 Chicago Folklore Prize for best academic work in folklore. She is the author or co-editor of four additional books, with two others in preparation, as well as numerous other publications. Dr. Mills served as the Chair of the Department of NELC.