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. She also holds the titles of Jean E. Fairfax Collegiate Professor of Public Policy, University Diversity and Social Transformation Professor, and Professor of Sociology (her tenured sociology appointment converted to a courtesy role when she assumed the deanship at the Ford School).
 

An internationally recognized scholar and expert, Dr. Watkins-Hayes is widely credited for her groundbreaking research at the intersection of inequality, public policy, and human service institutions, with a particular focus on HIV/AIDS, poverty, and the dynamics of race, class, and gender. Her book Remaking a Life: How Women Living with HIV/AIDS Confront Inequality (2019, University of California Press) won seven awards, including the American Sociological Association’s Distinguished Book Award, the discipline's highest book honor. Her first book, The New Welfare Bureaucrats: Entanglements of Race, Class, and Policy Reform, was a finalist for both the 2009 C. Wright Mills Book Award and the 2011 Max Weber Book Award.

Dr. Watkins-Hayes is the author of three books, has written numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, and has contributed commentary to publications including The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Chicago Magazine. She is frequently quoted in the press as a national expert on social inequality, HIV/AIDS, and societal safety nets.
 

Recognizing her leadership and expertise, in 2025 she was appointed to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) to help shape national policy. That same year, she was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Public Administration, and the American Academy of Political and Social Science—honors that underscore her impact on social science scholarship and public service.
 

Throughout her career, Dr. Watkins-Hayes has held numerous academic leadership roles, including Associate Vice President for Research, Chair of the Department of African American Studies, and Founding Director of the ASCEND Faculty Development Program at Northwestern University, her previous institution. She also served on the Board of Trustees of Spelman College for over a decade, including leading the search for the college’s 10th president. Before becoming dean of the Ford School, Watkins-Hayes served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.
 

As an academic leader, Watkins-Hayes has a proven record of advancing faculty recruitment and retention, improving faculty experience, supporting student success, securing resources, enhancing administrative processes, and fostering a vibrant community. She is passionate about cultivating collaborative academic environments that fuel innovation in teaching, research, and public engagement. At the Ford School, she champions strategic initiatives to strengthen democracy and civic empowerment, foster constructive dialogue, expand pathways for the next generation of policy leaders, and shape transformational research and learning. Under her leadership, the Ford School is launching its first online degree program and has significantly expanded its Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy program. In fall 2025, she was invited to serve on the university’s Presidential Search Advisory Committee.
 

Watkins-Hayes holds a PhD and MA in Sociology from Harvard University and a BA from Spelman College, where she graduated summa cum laude. A native of Michigan and graduate of Southfield High School, she is thrilled to be back in her home state.