Purdue Brand Studio’s Kelly Hiller, Katie Ellis recognized in Ragan’s Top Women in Marketing Awards

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Kelly Hiller, Purdue University’s chief marketing officer, and Katie Ellis, executive director of marketing strategy and growth, have received national recognition in Ragan’s Top Women in Marketing Awards Class of 2026. The awards honor marketing leaders across industries for strategic vision, innovation and measurable results.

Hiller was honored in the Agency Leader category. She led the creation of Purdue Brand Studio, the university’s in-house marketing and communications agency. She has connected Purdue to culturally significant and timely partnerships such as Sunnie, a media brand geared toward Generation Z girls and young women, and has played a key role in expanding Purdue’s footprint in Indianapolis.

Ellis was recognized in the Content Marketer category. She also played a key role in Purdue’s partnership with Sunnie, and she guided content strategy for Purdue’s “Stranger Things” culture campaign, which celebrated Netflix’s classic 1980s science fiction series, as well as the “This Is Where” enterprise campaign, which highlights the university’s role as an innovative partner for corporate and academic audiences.

Hiller and Ellis were honored alongside marketing leaders from global brands including Microsoft Advertising, Sony Electronics and Hyundai Motor America. Class of 2026 honorees will be celebrated at the Top Women in Marketing Awards Luncheon on Oct. 22 in New York City.

About Purdue University

Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 106,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. As a land-grant university committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue’s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.