Faculty and Staff Profile

Tavaghn Monts

Educational Background

MS Youth Development Leadership
Clemson University 2026

BS Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
Clemson University 2020

Profile

Tavaghn Monts is a youth development leader, practitioner, and community collaborator whose work centers on belonging, relationships, and creating environments where young people can thrive. He serves as Executive Director of Momentum Bike Clubs and Assistant Director of Community Collaboration with Clemson University’s REYSE Collaboratory. His work spans positive youth development, community engagement, organizational leadership, mentoring, and the use of recreation and cycling as vehicles for connection and growth. Momentum Bike Clubs is a youth development and mentoring organization serving young people across Greenville and Pickens Counties, using cycling as a platform to foster belonging, confidence, leadership, and positive youth development. Across his work, Monts builds partnerships that connect research, community-based practice, and the lived experiences and voices of young people. Monts is a speaker and facilitator in the youth development and out-of-school-time fields. He was recognized as a Top Presenter at the 2025 National AfterSchool Association Convention (NAA25) for his sessions “Adultism: The Silent Barrier to Youth Empowerment” and “Unmasking Toxic Masculinity in OST.” At the 2026 National AfterSchool Association Convention, Monts co-presented “From Dream to Doing: Building Belonging with the 3Cs,” featuring his 3Cs framework of Consistency, Connection, and Care for creating environments where young people experience belonging. In 2026, Monts received Clemson University’s Graduate Student Award of Excellence and the Dean Lawrence R. Allen Professional Contributions to the Field of Youth Development Leadership Award. His writing and professional contributions explore the connection between belonging, relationships, mentoring, and intentional youth development practice. Monts earned both his B.S. in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (2020) and M.S. in Youth Development Leadership (2026) from Clemson University. He combines academic insight with hands-on organizational and community leadership to strengthen opportunities for young people to experience belonging, exercise their voice, and thrive. Monts is a proud husband and father, and his commitment to family, community, and service grounds both his personal and professional life.

Research Interests

- Positive youth development and mentoring
- Belonging and relationship-centered youth development
- Youth voice, equity, and inclusion
- Community-based recreation and research-to-practice

Research Publications

Monts, T. (2026). Building belonging through consistency, connection, and care. *AfterSchool Today*, Spring 2026, 22–23.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2024). *Promoting Learning and Development in K-12 Out-of-School Time Settings: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief.* Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Contributor to workshop proceedings.

Honors and Awards

• Dean Lawrence R. Allen Professional Contributions to the Field of Youth Development Leadership Award, Clemson University (2026)

• Graduate Student Award of Excellence, Clemson University (2026)

• Top Presenter and Top Sessions, National AfterSchool Association Convention (NAA25) (2025)
- “Adultism: The Silent Barrier to Youth Empowerment”
- “Unmasking Toxic Masculinity in OST”
- Both sessions were recognized among NAA25’s highest-rated sessions based on participant evaluations.

Links