Nashville, Tennessee – Susan Cunningham, MSSW, LCSW, LADAC, has been elected to the Board of Directors for the National Correctional Industries Association (NCIA) as an at large member. Cunningham is the Director of Workforce Development for Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction (TRICOR).

Cunningham graduated from the University of Tennessee’s Graduate School of Social Work with a Master of Science in Social Work. She is licensed by the State of Tennessee as an alcohol and drug counselor, clinical supervisor, and a licensed clinical social worker.

Cunningham has worked in social work for over 20 years and has worked with criminal justice clients for 15 years in a range of settings including transitional housing and other non-profits, county government, psychiatric hospitals, and state government. During the last number of years she has been a speaker on inmate reentry on the state and national level and provides specialized trainings for the Alcohol and Drug Council of Middle Tennessee, Inc.

Cunningham is a member of many community and national organizations including the National Association of Social Workers and National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselors. She also serves on the national board for Dismas, Inc.

The National Correctional Industries Association (NCIA), which was founded in 1941, is an international nonprofit professional association whose mission is to promote excellence and credibility in correctional industries through professional development and innovative business solutions. NCIA’s members include all 50 state correctional industry agencies, Federal Prison Industries, foreign correctional industry agencies, and numerous city and county jail industry programs. Private sector companies that work in partnership with correctional industries both as suppliers/vendors and as partners in apprenticeship and work programs are among NCIA’s members.

Tennessee Rehabilitative Initiative in Correction was created in 1994 by the Tennessee General Assembly and is governed by a Board of Directors appointed by the Governor. TRICOR provides an environment where offenders learn work ethics and marketable skills which reduce recidivism and assist individuals with a successful reintegration into society. TRICOR’s philosophy is to effectively manage revenue supported industry, agriculture, and service operations for the purpose of employing and training offenders, providing quality products and services for our government and non-profit customers, and assisting in post-release employment. TRICOR manages a financially successful organization without receiving any state appropriated funds.