J. Celeste Lay

J. Celeste Lay was born in New Orleans but moved around as a kid until finally growing up in Kentucky. After college and grad school, she returned to New Orleans in 2004 to become a professor at Tulane, where she teaches and researches U.S. politics and policy. Celeste and her New Jersey-born husband have two daughters, Lucy and Kimberly. She is delighted to be long past the baby and toddler stage with her kids and can genuinely say that parenting has gotten more fun every year. As the kids develop their own unique identities and personalities, her parenting has become less about meeting basic needs and more about learning who they are and how she can be helpful in ensuring they become kind, strong, independent women. In her free time, Celeste can be found at her kids’ dance competitions, but she also enjoys reality competition shows, scrapbooking, and travel.