Monica McLaurine has had the pleasure of working with youth for over 20 years. Most recently she was the T.O.T.A.L. Coordinator with the Nashville Public Library’s T.O.T.A.L. (Totally Outstanding Teen Advocates for the Library) program for over 16 years. She worked with her staff (mostly teens) and trained them in several areas to prepare them to excel in curriculum development, leadership development, conflict resolution, and facilitation skills. Under her supervision, T.O.T.A.L. has served over 18,000 youth since its inception. This groundbreaking program has incorporated teens into a shared leadership capacity where they are currently serving on several leadership committees throughout the library system locally and nationally. She also utilized her skills and resources to create partnerships throughout the Nashville area. During her tenure as the T.O.T.A.L. Coordinator, T.O.T.A.L. was named the recipient of three national awards: the 2007 Highsmith Award of Excellence in programming from the Urban Libraries Council, the 2010 Innovation Award from the Urban Libraries Council, and most recently the 2014 National Anti-Bullying Recognition Award from the School of Safety Advocacy Council. She has worked with NAZA since its inception in 2010.

A native of Nashville, Monica has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice with a concentration with Juvenile Justice from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. She is a certified Life Coach and a twice published author. Monica loves in her spare time to spend time with family and friends, travel, exercise, and shop.