Provost's Office Staff

Throughout Dr. Straine’s 14 years of exceptional experience in both the academic and practical application of social work, she has repeatedly proven her ability to step up and lead the charge on initiatives that benefit her students and her community.

She holds a D.S.W. from the University of Southern California and a professional background in child abuse investigation and family reunification assessment and processes. Her interests expanded into the realm of policy and macro practice leading to her service since 2013 as the faculty sponsor for students’ participation in the National Association of Social Workers' Annual Legislative Lobby Days in Sacramento. She is also a founding member of the Love Your Neighbor collaborative initiative based in the Riverside mayor’s office and aimed at ending homelessness.

This year, Dr. Straine and her students represented La Sierra University at the California Social Welfare Archives conference, the first Inland Empire university to participate. The university was represented alongside the Annenberg Foundation and the UCLA Social Welfare Department. She holds numerous certificates and focuses on academic and practice areas that include administration and leadership, policy advocacy, macro social work, and faith-based community organizing.

Outside of teaching, guiding students into their social work careers and advocating for the most vulnerable in our communities, she is a busy mother of two children ages 13 and 10, both of whom attend La Sierra Academy. Her husband, Kevin Straine, serves as the Business Development Manager for the MBA Cohort Program in the Zapara School of Business, and as a pastoral intern at La Sierra University Church.