Farmer has a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a law degree from John Marshall Law School. He worked for the Georgia Department of Insurance and later for the American Insurance Association.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley first appointed Farmer to be South Carolina's insurance director in 2012.
Members of the NAIC — a group for state insurance regulators — formally elected Farmer the 2020 president today in Austin, Texas, at the NAIC's fall national meeting.
NAIC members also elected David Altmaier of Florida to be the new president-elect; Dean Cameron of Idaho to be the vice president; and Chlora Lindley-Myers of Missouri to be the secretary-treasurer.