The aim of this article is to evaluate the role and resources of academic-turned-senior bureaucrats as key agents of policy transfer in Indonesian bureaucratic reform during the Reformation era (1998–2018). Indonesia has a longstanding tradition of appointing academics into public office. In this research, the concept of Academic Administrative Entrepreneurs is introduced to better understand Indonesian administrative reform and the changing nature of Indonesian governance in a period of democratic transition. It is observed that social, political and knowledge capitals are key resources that enable Academic Administrative Entrepreneurs to influence processes of change governance.