The CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake and Johnston Counties shares his motivation — and vision for the organization.
as told to Susanna Klingenberg | photography by Alex Boerner

Drop into a Boys & Girls Club on any weeknight, and you’ll encounter a hive of activity. Sneakers squeak on the basketball court, the hum of homework and art projects fills classrooms and kids chat with mentors about everything from TV to college applications. It’s a child-centered space, a place to feel safe, seen and supported. But maintaining this atmosphere requires a robust business behind the scenes. That’s where Matt Taliaferro works his magic as the CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Wake and Johnston Counties. Taliaferro joined the nonprofit last August after 19 years in corporate roles at Johnson & Johnson and Walmart, plus five years at the Boys & Girls Clubs in Benton County, Arkansas. He brings not only business acumen to the job, but also well-seasoned ambition and vision. He’s got Jim Collins’ Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t on his nightstand and his favorite question (“What if?”) at the ready to spark discussion. We spoke to him about his new-ish role, the legacy he’s building on and what the future holds. 

What’s the mission of the Boys & Girls Club? 

I like to say the mission’s in the name. We’re here to support the growth and development of youth in our community — especially those who need us most to achieve their full potential. We offer after-school care and programming to area families for under $10 a year.

What does that look like? 

We have 10 clubs across Wake County and Johnston County that are open every day after school. In those places, kids from kindergarten to 18 get what they need to succeed. We help them thrive in school, take care of their physical and mental wellness, build character and leadership traits, learn life skills and plan what’s next. 

Then — and this is key — we provide caring adult mentors who want these kids to succeed and tell them so. One caring adult and one conversation can change the trajectory of a child’s life. Over 50% of our alumni say a Boys & Girls Club saved their life. I’m so honored to be part of that. 

Sounds like you have a wide impact. 

We sure do. We serve about 1,000 kids a day. They’re the center of our focus, but the impact reaches beyond them. Without the after-school support of the Boys & Girls Club, many of the parents of these kids couldn’t work. They need a place for their kids to play while they support their families. Those jobs, in turn, support their communities. There’s a ripple effect. 

What inspired the move from marketing to nonprofit work? 

I worked in the for-profit world for 19 years; 10 at Johnson & Johnson and nine at Walmart. I also spent a lot of time volunteering for the Boy Scouts — both of my boys are Eagle Scouts — so I was
already passionate about supporting youth development programs. 

As part of my last role at Walmart, I worked with the Walmart Foundation to run their food insecurity program and disaster relief. It opened my eyes to the nonprofit world and how much good can be done. And at some point, I felt God put me on this Earth to do something more than sell widgets! I needed a change. 

After I left Walmart, a friend called and said that the Boys & Girls Club was looking for a CEO. I jumped at the chance! It was the best decision I’ve ever made. 

You came in with big shoes to fill. Tell me about the legacy Ralph Capps left you. 

I don’t know if I can do it justice! Ralph was CEO for 50 years, nearly the entire time we’ve had Boys & Girls Clubs in Wake County. He devoted his life to this organization, growing it from one small Boys Club into what we have now and building an incredible board of directors along the way. Though I never had the chance to meet him, I’m slowly getting to know him well, because he left me all of his notebooks. Ralph wrote down everything. All his notes, all his speeches, all his stories. He knew how to tell a story! 

Ralph had so much passion for this organization and he set the bar very, very high. He demanded excellence in everything the organization did. My goal is just to take this legacy he built and begin to take it to the next level. 

You say Ralph was a storyteller, but I bet you are too. What’s a story that has stuck with you? 

My first month on the job here, I spent an hour or so helping a little girl with her homework at one of our clubs. She couldn’t read, and she was really struggling with it. Later, I asked a staff person, what’s her story? It turns out that it was her first day there. She and her mom had been living out of their car. Her mom had a job, but they were struggling to find a place to live. No kid should have to experience that kind of uncertainty. 

For this child and her mother to move forward, she first needed to be safe and welcomed. She needed focused academic help. She needed a place to feel secure and seen. To go from that initial situation — homeless, scared and struggling in school — to see her thriving now, that’s what keeps me going. It’s one thing to talk about the club’s impact as a whole, but when you see it on a little child’s face, it hits differently. 

How does your marketing background shape your approach? 

I think marketers are innately curious, and like you said, we’re storytellers. Part of my job here is to tell the story of the Boys & Girls Club, to help folks understand the impact that we have. Those stories lead to relationships with the community, my board, my staff, elected officials, donors and volunteers. We can’t do what we do without their support.  

What’s next for the Clubs? 

We’re in the middle of a new building and a new strategic plan, so we’re dreaming a bit, asking What if? There are three things we want to build up.
First, our country is in the midst of a youth mental-health crisis. We need to meet kids where they are, identify signs of trauma and get kids the help they need. But we currently only have one social worker for 10 Clubs — can we expand resources there? 

Second, I’d like to build out the workforce readiness aspect of what we do. We have a great relationship with Wake Tech Community College, and now I want to connect with industry leaders. Can we create internships, or a pipeline? Our new marketing tagline is “America Needs Club Kids.” And it’s true — we’re giving these kids the skills they need to be successful. 

Last thing: we want to serve as many kids as we possibly can. We currently serve 1,000 a day. Can it be 1,500? 2,000? 

You’re dreaming big. 

Of course! I consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world to have this job. And I want to make it matter. 

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.  

This article originally appeared in the June 2025 issue of WALTER Magazine.