Marian Riner

• Assistant Professor of Social Work
• Field Director

Marian earned her Bachelor of Social Work from the University of Arkansas in 1998 and her Master of Social Work from the University of Arkansas, Little Rock in 1999. She is licensed in the state of Iowa as a Licensed Independent Social Worker. She practiced social work for 20 years in a variety of settings and environments including urban, suburban and rural areas.  She has held social work licenses in three states-Arkansas, Texas and Iowa. Marian began her career in social work working with children in foster care, providing home studies for potential foster parents, intensive in-home family therapy services for children at risk of removal, and trainings for foster/adopt parents.

Marian transitioned into working in the mental health field as a therapist for children at a therapeutic day treatment program for six years.  She also spent time working in the medical field as a hospice/home health/hospital social worker, before dedicating the largest portion of her career working in the school setting providing social work services to homeless students. In addition, she worked for the Area Education Agency in Iowa before accepting a position with Buena Vista University as the Field Director for the Social Work program. Marian has presented at numerous local, state and national conferences on topics ranging from homeless services to mental health issues.