Bio

William E. Arnold, Jr., Ed. D., has 20+ years of experience in higher education and community engagement, particularly in the areas of DEI. In 2013, he was wrongfully convicted of crimes that he did not commit. His conviction was unanimously overturned by an Appellate Court in 2020 and he was the first person to receive relief from the Nashville (TN)-Davidson County Conviction Review Unit.

 Today, Dr. Arnold uses his professional training and recent life experiences to create a platform that views workforce development as a viable way for  returning citizens/justice involved individuals to restore dignity, decrease recidivism and add value to businesses and employers. He has lead discussions at universities and state agencies on the growing need for criminal justice reform, personal risk management and broader, more substantive reentry efforts. These talks have led him to have DEI conversations with See Change Institute, Tennessee State University, University of Cincinnati, the Tennessee Innocence Project and Vanderbilt University. A servant leader and Ted Talk Alum, Dr. Arnold is the current Director of the Tennessee Office of Reentry at the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This office stands as the first state funded, comprehensive, non-Department of Corrections related office of reentry situated in a Department of Labor in the nation.