Margaret Nelson is Professor of Anthropology and Associate Dean of Barrett Honors College at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona. Her research focuses on the ecology of arid land farming communities in the prehistoric Southwest. For the past 20 years, she has directed and co-directed research in the Mimbres region of southwest New Mexico. Her recent book, Mimbres During the Twelfth Century: Abandonment, Continuity, and Reorganization (University of Arizona Press, 1999), argues for the role of mobility and social flexibility in the organization and longevity of prehistoric farming communities in the Mimbres region. Her most treasured recognition was being named the 2001 Centennial Professor by the Associated Students of Arizona State University.