News Release

Mills joins School of Government faculty

CHAPEL HILL - Norma Ware Mills will join the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Government as a lecturer in public law and government.

School Dean Mike Smith said Mills will work in areas including local government law, state government law and emergency management law. She will teach, advise, research and write for North Carolina's public officials in these areas of expertise. Her appointment will begin this summer.

Most recently, Mills has served as chief of staff to State Senate President Pro Tem Marc Basnight. Her experience includes serving as Dare County Attorney, general counsel to Sen. Basnight, assistant attorney general in the N.C. Department of Justice, and an N.C. Prisoners Legal Services staff attorney. She was an adjunct faculty member at the UNC School of Law. Mills earned her bachelor's and law degrees from UNC.

"The opportunity to hire someone as talented and well-respected as Norma Mills was too good to miss," Smith said. "Her experience as a county attorney combined with her knowledge of state government makes her a unique and valuable addition to our faculty."

Mills has earned an outstanding reputation in the state's legal community and government for her knowledge about a broad range of legal, fiscal and policy issues. She is a clear communicator known for excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, Smith said.

UNC created the School of Government in 2001 to advance innovative public service and engagement. In establishing the school, the university recognized the Institute of Government's distinguished 70-year history of practical scholarship for North Carolina local and state government by adopting its mission as the core of the new school. The school embraces under one umbrella the work of the Institute of Government and the master of public administration program.

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News Services contact: Lisa Katz, (919) 962-2093, lisa_katz@unc.edu