Portrait of Jayce Farmer

Jayce Farmer, Ph.D.

Interim Director

Department(s)
Public Policy and Leadership
Mail Code
4030
Phone
702-895-4440

Biography

Jayce Farmer, Ph.D., is an accomplished scholar and the director of the School of Public Policy and Leadership at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he also serves as an associate professor. His research explores critical areas of public policy, including local public finance, urban sustainability, county government administration, state-local relations, and interlocal collaboration.

Before joining UNLV in 2016, Farmer held faculty appointments at Northern Kentucky University and Texas State University. During his tenure at Texas State, he directed the Center for Research, Public Policy, and Training, where he provided technical expertise to local governments across Central Texas. In this role, he spearheaded the creation of an ongoing survey program to evaluate citizen satisfaction within Texas communities, showcasing his commitment to bridging academic research with practical governance solutions.

Prior to his academic career, Farmer distinguished himself as a practitioner in municipal fiscal administration in Florida, where he served for nearly nine years. His tenure included roles in budgeting for the City of Tampa and the City of Tallahassee. In Tallahassee, he managed the city’s capital improvement plan and oversaw the budgets of major city departments. These hands-on experiences in municipal governance ignited his interest in local government decision-making, shaping the foundation of his research and teaching today.

Farmer has published extensively on a wide range of state and local government policy issues. His work appears in leading peer-reviewed journals such as The American Review of Public Administration, Urban Affairs Review, State and Local Government Review, and Publius: The Journal of Federalism.

Education

  • Ph.D., Florida State University
  • MPA, Florida State University
  • BS, Florida A&M University