Common Grounds - Building a Brand That Matters: How Texas A&M is Building a Force for Good
Join R. Ethan Braden, Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, for an inside look at how Texas A&M is elevating its reputation and impact on the national stage through disciplined brand building. Based on the principles of his signature Keynote presentation, Building a Brand That Matters, discover how the university is translating its core values into bold storytelling, innovative partnerships, and creative expressions that make Texas A&M impossible to overlook. Learn how staff across campus play a vital role in shaping the Aggie story, from the everyday choices we make to the way we share our work with the world. This session will connect you to the vision behind our brand, highlight recent successes, and offer practical ways you can help Texas A&M be recognized not just as the best in the nation, but the best for it.This will be aone-hour presentation before the USC Meeting. The series can be attended in person at the General Services Complex in Room 101A or via Zoom. For nearly two decades, R. Ethan Braden has built brands and teams that people love and trust. Today, he serves as Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at Texas A&M University, where he and his team are shaping the national narrative around one of America's most storied and consequential institutions. Ethan leads the effort to position, promote, and protect the largest land-grant university in the nation, elevating Texas A&M's reputation, relevance, and reach. Prior to Texas A&M, Ethan served as Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Purdue University and Purdue Global, where he helped transform Purdue into a nationally recognized marketing powerhouse. Under his leadership, Purdue earned three Fast Company "Brands That Matter" honors and was named #1 in education on Fast Company's 2023 Most Innovative Companies list, the only university included. A sought-after speaker and thought leader, Ethan has spoken at Salesforce's Dreamforce and Connections, Adweek's Brand Week, Google Marketing Live, and keynoted Content Marketing World, where he was named B2C Content Marketer of the Year (2023). He was also named "Marketer of the Year" in higher education by the American Marketing Association (2020), and his work has been featured in Ad Age, The Washington Post, Morning Brew, and NPR, which dubbed him "the top dog in higher ed marketing." Before entering higher education, Ethan spent nearly a decade at Eli Lilly and Company, leading global marketing efforts for billion-dollar brands including Cymbalta and Jardiance. He holds a BA from Willamette University, an MBA from the University of Notre Dame, and lives in College Station, Texas, with his wife and three children.
