Dr. Celeste Watkins-Hayes is a professor of sociology and public policy at the University of Michigan. She is also the Founding Director of the Center for Racial Justice at U of M’s Ford School of Public Policy. Watkins-Hayes is a nationally-recognized scholar and expert on health inequities, HIV/AIDS; social policy; societal safety nets; and race, class, and gender. 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 two hundred female AIDS activists, policy officials, advocates, and women living with HIV/AIDS who have been on the front lines of this fight. Dr. Watkins-Hayes has appeared in various media outlets (TV, print, radio, podcasts) and served on advisory boards across a number of industries.

Additional Context on Racial Justice Expertise. How do we address the dynamics that limit human potential? That question is at the heart of all of my work. As a scholar, I believe in the power of research, teaching, speaking, policy analysis, and community engagement to confront the challenges that limit access to opportunity and perpetuate inequities. I’m currently a University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, the Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, and Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. Prior to joining the faculty at U of M, I spent eighteen years at Northwestern University as a professor of sociology and African American studies and Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research. My work focuses on inequality; public policy; HIV/AIDS; poverty; and race, class, and gender studies. Through my administrative roles at Northwestern and the University of Michigan, and as a former Trustee at Spelman College, I am also deeply engaged in issues related to higher education.

Additional Context on Topics of Expertise

• HIV/AIDS epidemic among women
• HIV/AIDS activism
• what it’s like inside welfare offices for low-income families
• intersectionality and intersectional understanding of race, class, gender, sexuality
• Transformation Through Trauma: How We Remake Our Lives
• What Are Safety Nets and Why Do We Need Them?
• HIV/AIDS Activism and the Lessons for Transformative Leadership
• Can We Really End the AIDS Epidemic by 2030? A Policy Reality Check

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