TIP Welcomes First Client Services Program Coordinator

8/7/2025

The Tennessee Innocence Project is thrilled to welcome Riley Cunningham as our first Client Services Program Coordinator. Riley will lead TIP's comprehensive approach to client care, providing trauma-informed services and resource navigation for the wrongfully convicted throughout their journey—from incarceration through exoneration and community reintegration. As TIP's first in-house Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Riley brings critical mental health expertise to ensure our clients receive the holistic support they deserve as they rebuild their lives.

Riley comes to TIP with an impressive background in clinical social work. Her experience, combined with her passion for justice and mental health, make her an invaluable addition to our reentry team.

We sat down with Riley to learn more about her journey to this work, her hopes for the role, and what motivates her to walk alongside our clients through some of the most challenging transitions of their lives. Read our Q&A with Riley below!

Q: Tell us a little about yourself. Where did you grow up? How long have you lived in Nashville? What do you like to do in your free time?

A: I originally grew up in Orange County, Southern California. I moved to Nashville, TN in November 2022. I am a proud single mother to my sweet daughter who I spend much of my free time with whether that be playing outside, having movie nights, or whatever silly game she feels like playing in the moment. I also enjoy spending time with friends and listening to podcasts.

Q: What is your background as a social worker? What motivated you to join the field, and where did you work prior to joining the TIP team?

A: I earned my bachelor's degree from Boise State University and subsequently completed my master's degree and licensure in social work. What motivated me to join the field was having the ability to help many individuals and their families, during situations where they might feel hopeless, alone, or unheard. I wanted to be a person for those I work with that they know will always be by their side for support. Prior to joining TIP I worked at Vanderbilt University Medical Center on the Trauma Stepdown Unit as a Nursing Assistant for a year and a half, then as a Social Worker in the Trauma ICU for six months. I have also worked alongside diverse community populations during my education: children, families, and homeless individuals.

Q: What will you be doing in your new role as Client Services Coordinator? What work projects are you most excited about?

A: I will be providing a dynamic range of support and resource services to clients and their loved ones, directed at where they are individually in their journey toward exoneration as well as their reentry into the community. This includes therapeutic and emotional support, community organization resources, and much more.

Q: What drew you to applying to this role? Why is this work important to you?

A: My professional background for the past two and a half years has been medical. However, when I came across this role, I was extremely intrigued by the legal aspect both for this specific client population as well as in the social work career. This work is important to me because of how many individuals are wrongfully incarcerated for decade-long sentences and once exonerated have so much to rekindle, gain knowledge about, and adjust to in their environment—on top of having to process and heal from the extremely complex trauma they experienced after having spent a large portion of their life behind bars for a crime they knew they did not commit the entire time. I hope by providing support services to clients both incarcerated and exonerated, it can positively help them process their deep trauma, as mental health is an extremely important focus for me, as well as assist them with the hope of the smoothest possible transition back into the community and the lives of their loved ones.

Q: What do you wish the public knew about the role of reentry and client services in supporting the wrongfully convicted?

A: I wish the general public truly understood the number of individuals who are wrongfully incarcerated, most serving decades-long sentences, and the factors that go into them rejoining the community—not just housing and employment but also the way the world has drastically innovated throughout the years they were incarcerated, the impact on their mental and physical health, as well as the time lost with their loved ones that they will never get back but should have had all along.

Q: If you could tell a future TIP client one thing, what would it be?

A: That this strong, caring, passionate group of individuals that make up the TIP team will go above and beyond to fight to prove your innocence. When you become a client, you become a member of the TIP family, not only while incarcerated but also if exonerated and for the rest of your life.

Q: Is there anything else you'd like to share about yourself and your role?

A: How excited I am to be able to learn new things from each individual client I work with while at the same time being able to provide support and services to make impactful changes in their life and those they love, along with growing my knowledge of the justice system and those who are wrongfully incarcerated.