Welcoming Kamrhan Farwell as BUWG’s New Honorary President
The BU Women’s Guild (BUWG) has long been a cornerstone of connection, mentorship, and community for women across Boston University. This fall, the Guild welcomes its new Honorary President, Kamrhan Farwell, Senior Vice President of University Relations. Farwell brings a rich background spanning journalism, higher education leadership, and strategic communications—and a deep commitment to mentoring and uplifting others throughout her career.
In her role at BU, which she began in April 2025, Kamrhan oversees the central External Affairs team, including marketing, communications, and government relations at all levels. Before coming to BU, she led institutional communications at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill and held senior-level positions at the University of Texas at Dallas, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Missouri–Columbia. She spent 18 years as a journalist — including a decade at the Dallas Morning News, leading the education desk–before transitioning into higher education communications in 2011.
Kamrhan (a native Californian) and her husband Scott—a former journalist, Pulitzer Prize finalist, and master lecturer at the School of Communication—are thrilled to be living close to a coast again. They are proud parents of three adult children (ages 27 to 36), four grandchildren (ages 1 month to 6 years), and a white German Shepherd named Noah, who you may see walking with them on Bay State Road.
In this BUWG conversation, Kamrhan reflects on her journey from leading a newsroom to shaping university communications at UNC, Mizzou, Pitt, and now BU. She spoke about her passion for mentorship, her excitement to learn from and contribute to the BU Women’s Guild, and her belief in the Guild’s power to connect, support, and inspire women across the University community.
“My interest in being involved with the Guild follows that same principle—supporting, encouraging, and being there for each other in meaningful ways. As a female leader, I want others to succeed.”
Kamrhan Farwell, BUWG Honorary President
Read the Q&A and learn about Kamrhan’s vision for the Guild, how mentorship has shaped her journey, and her plans to build community at BU.
Q&A
What inspired you to accept the role of Honorary President of the BU Women’s Guild?
I’ve always been interested in mentoring others. I still remain in touch with reporters who I worked with decades ago, as well as higher education colleagues who sought my counsel and mentorship along the way. More recently, I’ve made relationships with students who I follow during their time on campus and beyond. I enjoy listening about their plans, offering advice and following and cheering their successes. My interest in being involved with the Guild follows a similar principle, of supporting, encouraging, and being there for each other in meaningful ways. As a female leader, I want others to succeed.
As the new Honorary President, how do you envision uplifting and celebrating the mission of the BU Women’s Guild—and what contributions are you most excited to make in this role?
As a newcomer, I have a lot to learn about the BU Women’s Guild. I will be curious about what it has been through the years and what the members hope it will be in the future. For me personally, mentorship and creating supportive relationships across campus will be fulfilling. As a communicator, I will naturally be drawn to ways to raise awareness of the Guild and all that it does to bring people together and support them. At one of my previous institutions (University of Pittsburgh), I attended events with a similar group, and they organized us in attending BU women’s sporting events on occasion. If we don’t do that here, that might be a nice way to show support for our female athletes.
“As a communicator, I will naturally be drawn to ways to raise awareness of the Guild and all that it does to bring people together and support them.”
How have your experiences in other leadership and community roles prepared you for this new position with BUWG?
Throughout my career, I’ve been known as a manager who can help with various efforts focused on making human connections and improving the work environment. In journalism, I was a recruiter for the newsroom and made and maintained many connections with professionals across the country. I also served on the SEC’s committee for equity and social justice, where we developed ways that the athletics conference could increase knowledge and understanding and be more inclusive. And as I mentioned before, I participated in the women’s organization at Pitt and helped brainstorm ideas for advancing our efforts and activities across campus.
Community is central to the Guild. Describe a moment when the community supported or inspired you, and how you hope to ‘pay it forward’ in this role.
I have only been here for a short while, and I have already been impressed by the energy here in support of women and other groups. One of the first community events I attended here was a Chamber luncheon that featured a focus on women. President Melissa Gilliam, who is my direct supervisor, was the keynote speaker. I was sitting next to two children, a boy and a girl, and both watched her leadership and command of the crowded room. It was fun to see their awe and inspiration. I think women in leadership provide models for how they approach their roles, which is just as important as the advice or wisdom they share.
You are new not only to the BU Women’s Guild, but also to Boston University. Each year, BUWG hosts a Newcomers Event to welcome faculty and staff to the Guild. As both our Honorary President and a newcomer yourself, how do you view the significance of this tradition, and why do you believe building connections across the BU community is so important?
Universities are built on our oldest and deepest traditions in this country, especially those established hundreds of years ago. What’s amazing about Boston University is that it was open to all groups very early on. This university opened its arms to black students and women students much earlier than others, as well as to relationships with other countries and international students. That history explains why there is a sense of openness you feel on campus toward all groups and people from around the world. I’m excited to get to know this community and to find ways I can help connect people across this very large organization. I’m looking forward to seeing this community in action at the Guild’s signature event this month (October), where I will have the chance to see my colleague, friend, and College of Communications Dean Mariette DiChristina speak. She’s a talented female leader and obviously, a good storyteller.
How do you see the Guild supporting BU’s broader mission and community as the University looks to the future?
Boston University is focused on the current challenges to higher education, as well as investments in future generations – the future students, faculty, staff, and leaders of this university. The Guild can help show how the university is planting seeds now that continue to progress so that talent rises from wherever it comes. The Guild has the opportunity to continue to plant those seeds to further progress, in individuals and in the university culture.
Beyond the bio: What do you enjoy outside of your work at Boston University? Any fun facts?
Fun facts: I was a national class competitive gymnast as a child. My favorite books as a teen were “Little Women” and “All the President’s Men.” I think that combo tells you something about why I went into journalism, even though I didn’t know it at the time. And our kids are our biggest accomplishments: one is a maestro in AI, another is a physician’s assistant and mother of four, and our youngest is the most downloaded composer/pianist in the U.S.
About the author: Maureen McCarthy is a BU Women’s Guild Communications Chair and Director of Communications in the Faculty of Computing & Data Sciences.