About Us
Retrieving Independence is a Nashville-based nonprofit that breeds, trains and places service dogs with people who are living with physical, mental or emotional disability.
This is all accomplished with the help of volunteer breeders, puppy raisers, and weekend furlough volunteers. Through our partnership with the Tennessee Department of Correction, RI works with inmates to provide a significant portion of the training throughout the almost two-year program.
That’s what we do. But WHY do we do it?
We do it for the love poured into the dogs by the volunteers. We do it for the purpose and dignity it gives the inmate trainers. We do it for the life-rocking change it gives to our incredible recipients.
Love. Dignity. Change. That’s why we do it.
Our Mission: Working to change lives every day
Our Vision: To see love and dignity rehabilitate inmates and give people living with disabilities greater independence
Retrieving Independence Leadership
Staff Members
We mourn the loss of our beloved Founder and Director Emeritus, Brenda Dew, who passed away in December 2023. Brenda, a fierce spirit and visionary, founded our organization in 2012, instilling in us her invaluable “Brenda-isms” and a commitment to our core values of Love, Dignity, and Change.
Her inspiring leadership and dedication have left an indelible mark on our organization and the countless lives touched by her compassion, serving as a beacon of inspiration for all who knew her.
In recognition of her enduring impact, Brenda will forever hold the title of Director Emeritus, remaining an integral part of our organization’s history and identity. Though she is no longer with us in person, her spirit lives on in the work we do every day, inspiring us to make a difference in the world.
Dr. Brenda Dew
Retrieving Independence Board
Board Members
Rod Thurley
Owner/Founder | RT Counsulting
Jim Murphy
Retired/Community Volunteer
Chris Dooney, CPA
Healthcare Financial Executive | UHS
Kayte Bittorie
Director of Firm Administration | LBMC
George Scoville
Commercial Litigation Associate | SIMS | FUNK
Scott Morgan
Managing Director | Office Works, Inc.
Dan Craft
Retired/Community Volunteer