Deidre Farmbry

Senior District Advisor

The Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning

Philadelphia, PA

Deidre Farmbry is a career educator, having been an English teacher, English department head, special assistant to a former superintendent, high school principal, regional superintendent, chief academic officer, and interim superintendent, all in the School District of Philadelphia. Deidre was a member of the first cohort of the Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP) and remained active throughout her career and into her “semi” retirement. She served on PhilWP’s advisory board and co-facilitated one of PhilWP’s Leadership Inquiry Series. Since retiring from the School District of Philadelphia, Deidre has provided service as an independent consultant specializing in social and emotional learning (SEL) and cultural proficiency and equity. Most of her guidance to school districts throughout the country has been through her positions as a Senior District Advisor with the Chicago-based Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and as a Professional Learning Facilitator with the Boston-based Coalition of Schools Educating Boys of Color (COSEBOC). A native Philadelphian, Deidre received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Temple University and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. Her dissertation focused on sociological aspects of mobilizing staff for school reform. She studied on two occasions at the National College of School Leadership in Nottingham, UK, and attend educational forums in Innsbruck, Austria; Sydney, Australia; Cape Town South Africa, and Beijing, China. Deidre has presented at educational conferences both nationally and internationally. While her favorite form of written expression is poetry, Deidre is the author of several published speeches and essays on topics such as professional identity, the impact of context, and the highs and lows of leadership journeys. Deidre’s hobbies are traveling, gardening, writing poetry, and participating in water aerobics and Zumba. She and her husband reside in Philadelphia and are the parents of one adult son.