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March 2010
Farmer says she plans to segue into part-time education consulting work, which will allow her the freedom to pursue one of her great loves — overseas travel. "I'm not walking off into the sunset," Farmer says. "I have some other things that I want to do in my life, and I want to be able to do them while I'm in good health and can get around. I don't want to die at a desk." High on her itinerary are destinations like Eastern Europe, Greece and Turkey. Farmer says she's interested in studying education systems in other countries. Back in Texas, Farmer says she has witnessed numerous improvements since she first volunteered in public education with a seat on the Sinton ISD Board of Trustees in 1977. For instance, she believes the state's education system is more methodical than it was back in the late 1970s; Farmer points out that a second-grade student in Texas now gains essentially the same knowledge as any other second grader — whether they're across the hall or across the state. Nonetheless, she says, "we still have a long way to go." Farmer cites math and science instruction, school funding and teacher recruitment as areas for improvement. She adds that teaching is not a profession "that's encouraged or admired, sadly. I don't see in American society that education is valued as much as sports or entertainment by most people." Farmer, on the other hand, values education tremendously. Aside from serving on the Sinton ISD board from 1977 to 1983, she sat on the board of the Texas Association of School Boards from 1980 to 1983. Farmer's grown twin daughters are products of public education in Texas: Kira now lives in Austin, and Krista lives in Portland, Ore. Farmer launched her professional career in education in 1990 as program coordinator of TASB's Parent Learning Network. Nine years later, she was hired as executive director of the Texas Association of Partners in Education. Farmer joined TSPRA as executive director in 2004. TSPRA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting public schools through effective communications. She says the association has become much more diverse and transparent during her tenure. In 2004, TSPRA opened its membership to foundation staff members and trustees who support public schools. The group mainly comprises public information and communications professionals who serve public school districts and education organizations in Texas. The association's more than 1,000 members also include superintendents, school administrators, principals, executive directors, media and graphics professionals and education consultants. The early years As a college graduate, Farmer didn't have her sights set on public education. After earning a bachelor’s degree in international history from Dunbarton College in Washington D.C., she worked as an intelligence research analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, the Army and the Library of Congress. That was followed by a brief stint as a public relations aide for U.S. Sen. Robert Byrd of West Virginia. Farmer moved to Texas in 1974. Following several years as a stay-at-home mom and volunteer, Farmer went back to school in the mid-1980s. She received a master's degree in clinical psychology from Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 1985 and became an associate psychologist in Corpus Christi that same year. In 1989 and 1990, she worked in psychology in Austin. Twenty years later and facing her retirement, Farmer remains passionate about public education. "I believe that schools are still the last intact social institution that we have," Farmer says. "Schools are asked to do so many things in addition to teaching content." Farmer hopes to do more things for public education in Texas through Callisto International Consulting Group, her education consulting business. "I haven't been able to do much with it yet," she says of Callisto, "but I will get that up and running this summer after I retire from TSPRA." JOHN EGAN is a writer and editor in Austin. |
For more than 30 years, Judy Farmer has committed herself to public education in Texas as a professional and a volunteer. This May, she will retire as the executive director of the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) — a position she has held for six years. Though she is leaving the 9-to-5 behind, her commitment to public education will remain steadfast.