Nydia Y. Monagas

Nydia Y. Monagas serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy within Montclair State University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences. She concurrently holds the position of Executive Director at the New Jersey Children’s Alliance (NJCA), a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to coordinating investigations and comprehensive responses for victims of child abuse, neglect, and family violence.

Her academic credentials include a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, a Master of Arts in Educational Psychology, and a Post-Bachelor’s Certificate in Child Advocacy—all obtained from Montclair State University.

Dr. Monagas specializes in high-impact interventions for child welfare systems, with research emphasizing psychological evaluations for children in Child Protective Services cases, multidisciplinary team coordination, and policy development for abuse prevention. Her work bridges clinical practice with systemic advocacy through statewide leadership roles.

As an educator, she supervises practicum experiences for undergraduate Child Advocacy and Policy majors and teaches critical courses including Child Abuse and Neglect and senior capstone seminars. Her advisory focus centers on preparing students for frontline roles in child protection agencies.

Dr. Monagas actively shapes policy through board memberships on the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect (Protection Subcommittee) and the Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board. Her pre-university career included direct clinical work at St. Clare’s Center for the Protection of Children and the Dorothy B. Hersh Regional Diagnostic Center.