About

Kyle Farmbry, PhD, began serving as a senior consultant with AGB in July 2026, where he specializes in areas of board strategy and effectiveness during periods of institutional turbulence. He also serves as a senior fellow with the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), a non-residential fellow with the Cornell University Center for Democracy, and a visiting research professor in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University (GW).

From January 2022 to January 2025, Farmbry served as President of Guilford College, a small liberal arts college in Greensboro, NC. Prior to that, he served as a professor in the School of Public Affairs and Administration (SPAA) at Rutgers University-Newark. From August 2013 to July 2019, he served as dean of the graduate school at Rutgers University-Newark. Prior to joining the faculty of Rutgers, Farmbry taught at The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Diego State University, and Grand Valley State University.

In 2017-2018, Farmbry served as an American Council on Education (ACE) fellow. In this role, he worked with the vice-chancellor (president) of the University of Pretoria in South Africa and examined university-based innovation and the implementation of the University of Pretoria-Mamelodi Campus’ anchor institution strategy. In 2016, he served as a Fulbright fellow examining refugee integration in Malta. In February of 2009, Farmbry was selected as one of 35 people from around the world to serve as a Fulbright New Century Scholar. In this role, he was engaged in research examining factors of youth entrepreneurial and civic engagement in South Africa.

Farmbry has published four books (three sole-authored, one edited) on topics such as diversity in public administration, crisis and disaster issues, xenophobia and migration, and poverty. His work has been supported by the Open Society Foundations, the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, the United States Fulbright Commission, the United States Embassy in South Africa, and the IBM Center for the Business of Government. Most recently, he completed a report for the TIAA Institute entitled Mission Critical: Presidents’ Perspectives on How Universities Serve Society in Turbulent Times.

He has served on the Board of Trustees of The George Washington University. In early November 2021, he was inducted as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. In October 2023, he was elected to serve as a trustee of the College Board.

Professional Credentials

Farmbry received his BA, MPA, and PhD degrees from The George Washington University. He completed his JD degree at the Rutgers University School of Law. He is presently completing an LLM from the Northeastern University School of Law (anticipated December 2026).