Empowering Leadership Growth
About Celeste Blair
Celeste Blair is an author and educator whose work in peer-led mentorship is grounded in lived experience, disciplined preparation, and documented service. While serving a federal prison sentence, she developed and led peer-led mentorship programs focused on accountability, service, and personal growth, helping others document their efforts and prepare for successful reentry. Her sustained, verifiable record of leadership and service contributed to a presidential commutation of her sentence.
After her release, Celeste continued the work she began while incarcerated as a volunteer. In January 2026, she joined Prison Professors as a W-2 employee, where she now teaches, mentors, and supports individuals serving federal prison sentences. In this role, she helps participants apply disciplined decision-making, consistent documentation, and long-term planning to build credible records of accountability, growth, and readiness for opportunity.
Celeste also serves as an ambassador for the Prison Professors platform, reinforcing standards of responsibility, preparation, and service. Her post-release work reflects continuity rather than transition—the same principles that guided her preparation inside continue to shape her teaching and mentorship today.
In collaboration with Prison Professors, Celeste authored and published the Peer-Led Mentorship Handbook, a practical workbook designed for use inside prison environments. The handbook provides step-by-step guidance for documenting growth, building credible profiles, avoiding disciplinary setbacks, and aligning daily actions with long-term release plans. Through her teaching and writing, Celeste emphasizes that preparation is not a single event, but a structured, verifiable process that turns time in custody into evidence of readiness for higher levels of liberty.