Braden chosen as next vice president and CMO at Texas A&M

Texas A&M University has announced that R. Ethan Braden, executive vice president and chief marketing and communications officer for Purdue University and Purdue Global, will be its new vice president and chief marketing and communications officer, effective Dec. 1.

President Mung Chiang said the university is proud of and thankful for the team Braden has built at Purdue and celebrates his and the team’s accomplishments in building Purdue’s brand worldwide. 

“Since joining in 2018, Ethan has done an outstanding job in marketing and communication for Purdue and Purdue Global,” Chiang said. “We thank him for the very positive impact on our university’s brand and believe that the MarCom team here will continue to deliver for the Boilermakers.”

As a search is carried out, communications will continue to be led by Vice President Julie Rosa, brand and marketing by Executive Director Kati Pratt, and creative services by Executive Director Kelly Hiller.

“I’ve loved my time at Purdue University, including the award-winning marketing team we’ve built and amazing work we have contributed towards the realization of Purdue’s mission,” Braden said. “As a marketing leader, I strive to build brands and teams that people love and trust. People worldwide love and trust Purdue University and this expert storytelling team that constantly enchants audiences these days with their craft and care. I am so thankful to Mitch Daniels, the Board of Trustees and Dan Hasler for the opportunity to come to Purdue University in 2018. I hope I have left the place a little better than when I found it, and I’ll remain its biggest brand champion.”

Since November 2018, Braden has cultivated, united and excited a world-class marketing and communications team and community at Purdue University. Under his leadership, the Marketing and Communications team, which has grown from 55 to 95 staff, launched a new brand platform, a new storytelling hub, an award-winning and chart-topping podcast, and a reenvisioned, data-driven Purdue homepage. Media placements have increased each year — up 62% in FY 2023 — and 13 Purdue-produced videos surpassed the 1 million views mark on YouTube in the last 12 months, including “What Can You Imagine at Purdue?,” which has garnered more than 29 million views since its launch 11 months ago. Braden was also named CMO for Purdue Global in 2022, tasked with increasing awareness and demand by transforming Purdue Global into a distinct and compelling brand as Purdue’s online university for working adults. His work leading the Purdue Marketing and Communications team has resulted in multiple national awards for the team over the past few years, including most recently the third year in a row as the only university named a Brand That Matters by Fast Company magazine. Braden was honored in October as the Content Marketer of the Year by the Content Marketing Institute and in 2020 as the Higher Education Marketer of the Year by the American Marketing Association. Braden has represented Purdue University when speaking at Google Marketing Live and Salesforce’s Dreamforce and Connections conferences, and appeared on numerous podcasts related to brand management, leadership and higher education. Purdue University, Purdue Global and the marketing teams behind them have been showcased in other ways, participating in major innovation and industry gatherings including Fast Company’s 2023 Innovation Festival and Purdue Global’s appearance onstage at Adweek’s 2023 Brandweek, where Braden spoke about the future of the marketing field. In July, Purdue was named the No. 3 most recognized U.S. public university (and No. 10 globally), coming in ahead of institutions like Yale University, the University of Cambridge and UCLA. As the country’s No. 4 most trusted public university, according to Morning Consult, Purdue has also been named a top 20 Most Innovative Company by Fast Company magazine, ahead of Disney as well as NASA, and the only university on the list. 

Texas A&M’s announcement can be read here.