Dr. Rick Farmer is an innovative and award winning teacher with many years of practical insurance experience.

Farmer grew up in Tahlequah, OK, where he graduated from Tahlequah High School andNortheastern State University.  Rick and his wife Marjean owned a small business and were active in the Tahlequah community until he decided to seek a PhD in Political Science at theUniversity of Oklahoma.

Rick earned tenure at the University of Akron in Ohio, where he was a fellow in the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.  He was an innovative classroom instructor, pioneering video conferencing and instant student feedback software.  He is the author of over 30 academic chapters and articles and the co-editor of four books.

In 2004 he returned to Oklahoma to work in state government. Over the next 10 years he served as—

• director of committee staff at the Oklahoma House of Representatives;
• deputy insurance commissioner under John Doak; and
• director of the Oklahoma Workers’ Compensation Commission.

While working fulltime in government, Rick continued to teach and write.  He served as president of the Oklahoma Political Science Association in 2008.  In 2009 he initiated an ethics conference with the State Legislative Leaders Foundation at the Zig Ziglar Center for Ethical Leadership.  Currently, he is chairman of the American Political Science Association’s Practical Politics Working Group.

Dr. Farmer’s unique blend of practical experience and academic training has been termed “Pracademic.”

He has appeared on CNN, NBC, MSNBC, C-SPAN, BBC Radio and various local news outlets.  His comments are quoted in the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Christian Science Monitor and numerous local newspapers.

For a complete resume or academic vitae visit www.RickFarmer.net