Strayhorn is a native of Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was educated in the Virginia Beach Public Schools system and graduated with high honors from Kempsville High School. Following high school graduation, he enrolled at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where he earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies and music. During his studies, Strayhorn was part of UVA's Air ForceReserve Officer Training Corp and was an active member of UVA's Black Voices Gospel Choir. He served for several years as Minister of Music of the First Baptist Church-Main Street. Strayhorn earned a master's degree in education policy studies with a cognate in higher education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. His master's thesis focused on re-segregation of higher education, arguing the need for affirmative action policies in college admissions at public universities. After completing a master's in education policy, Strayhorn accepted a job as research associate at the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C. Strayhorn returned to graduate school at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and earned a Ph.D. in higher education, and educational research and evaluation. His doctoral advisor was Don G. Creamer and his dissertation examined factors influencing the persistence of graduate students. Strayhorn joined the faculty at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville as a tenure-track assistant professor in the Department of Educational Psychology within the College of Education, Health, & Human Sciences. After three years, he was promoted to the rank of associate professor and granted tenure. In 2007, he was appointed Special Assistant to the Provost Former. In 2010, Strayhorn moved to Ohio State University as associate professor in the School of Education Policy & Leadership. His primary faculty appointment was in the Department of Educational Studies and he taught in the Higher Education and Student Affairs graduate program. He held faculty appointments in the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Department of African American and African Studies, and the Sexuality Studies, Engineering Education, and Educational Policy programs. Strayhorn was faculty affiliate in the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, faculty research associate in the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male, and faculty affiliate in the OSU Criminal Justice Research Center. In 2014, Strayhorn was promoted to the rank of full professor—making him one of only 30 black full professors at OSU and the youngest full professor in the university's history. Strayhorn directed the Center for Higher Education Enterprise at OSU. Strayhorn founded and directed the Center for Inclusion, Diversity, & Academic Success at OSU and the Center for Higher Education Research and Policy at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Amid controversy regarding an alleged travel audit, Strayhorn was terminated as CHEE director in 2017, although the audit showed "no intentional wrongdoing" on his part. He voluntarily resigned from his faculty position at OSU a short time later in a memo released May 3, 2017.
Selected awards and involvements
In 2008, the U.S. National Science Foundation awarded him a CAREER research grant award. His 5-year project focused on identifying and testing proven strategies for broadening STEM participation among minorities, especially minority males. In 2012, Strayhorn delivered a TedX talk on student success and sense of belonging.
Notable awards and associations
University of Virginia's Outstanding Higher Education Faculty Award
BusinessFirst Magazine's “Top 20 to Know in Education”
Diverse Issues in Higher Education “Top Emerging Scholar”, 2011
Who's Who in Black Columbus
Virginia Tech Don G. Creamer Outstanding Alumni Award
