Celeste Watkins-Hayes is the Joan and Sanford Weill Dean of Public Policy at the University of Michigan's Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and founding director of the school's Center for Racial Justice. She is also the Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, and professor of sociology. She has been internationally recognized for her research at the intersection of inequality, public policy and human service institutions, with a special focus on HIV/AIDS, poverty, and race, class and gender studies. Her latest book, Remaking a Life: How Women Living with HIV/AIDS Confront Inequality (University of California Press, 2019), is an examination of the decades-long transformation of the AIDS epidemic told through the voices of over 200 female AIDS activists, policy officials, advocates, and women living with HIV/AIDS who have been on the front lines of this fight. The book’s release was covered by The Chicago Tribune, Ms. Magazine, EBONY, Chicago Public Radio, New York Public Radio, Detroit Public Radio, POZ Magazine, the PBS Newshour, Chicago Tonight, and several other outlets across the country. Remaking A Life won seven book awards, including the American Sociological Association (ASA) Distinguished Book Award (the discipline's highest book honor). Celeste holds a PhD and MA in Sociology from Harvard University and a BA (summa cum laude) from Spelman College.
