Gabriella Celeste, JD, Policy Director, is Co-Director of the Childhood Studies Program and an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Anthropology. She works to build partnerships that promote effective public policy and practice for the well-being of children and adolescents. Gabriella also teaches an undergraduate child policy curriculum, supervises Schubert's child policy externship program, and conducts training and presentations on various topics related to child well-being and developmentally informed policies and practices. She has worked extensively with vulnerable children in various nonprofit and administrative roles, directly as a practitioner and attorney and in conducting applied research, evaluation, and technical assistance for foundations, nonprofits, and government agencies.
Gabriella co-founded the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana in 1997 (now the Louisiana Center for Children's Rights) and has been instrumental in youth justice policy reform in Ohio. Her other policy efforts include child lead poisoning prevention, child welfare reform, youth crisis intervention and prevention, and improving police-youth interactions. She is a governor appointee to the Ohio Juvenile Justice Working Group and a county executive appointee to the Cuyahoga County Advisory Board to the Division of Children and Family Services. Currently, she serves on several state and local committees and coalitions, including the Ohio Lead-Free Kids Coalition leadership team and the Steering Committees for the Lead Safe Cleveland Coalition, Cleveland Thrive Violence Prevention, and the Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative.
Gabriella received her B.S. from Northwestern University and JD from the University of Michigan Law School.
She is the proud parent of two young adult sons.