Steve Pawluk serves as the provost of La Sierra University in Riverside, California.  His perspectives on Seventh-day Adventist higher education have been sharpened by his work at La Sierra as well as by his experience as senior vice president for academic administration at Southern Adventist University and as professor of education and dean of the School of Education and Psychology at Walla Walla University.

Pawluk holds a doctorate of education from Montana State University, a master of arts in religion from Loma Linda University, and a bachelor's degree in theology from Loma Linda University, La Sierra. Pawluk was awarded a fellowship enabling him to participate in the Institute for Educational Management at the Graduate School of Education at Harvard University.