Ann Ness, Hamline University
Title: Vice president of marketing and enrollment
Corporate brand-building veteran Ann Ness is applying her experience to higher education as Hamline University's new vice president of marketing and enrollment.
Ness has three decades of experience in building and shaping global brands, most recently at Cargill Inc. She worked there as director of advertising and brand management and vice president for corporate brand management and led creation of a brand-building program designed to elevate Cargill's global profile. She previously worked as director of marketing for Radisson Hotels Worldwide.
At Hamline, Ness leads marketing, enrollment, strategic communications and financial aid at the St. Paul-based university, which opened its Minneapolis center — where Hamline's MBA program is housed — in 2008 in the West End development in St. Louis Park.
"Both at Radisson and again at Cargill, my focus was on identifying and sharpening the brand, and that is the opportunity that also exists at Hamline," Ness said. "Even though the industries are so different, there's quite a bit of relevance in taking a similar approach to identifying why Hamline is different from and better than its competitors and in what ways."
Ness served as a member of Hamline's board of trustees for three years before resigning to begin her new role with the university. Ness, who has a degree in journalism and political science from Indiana University, began her career as a newspaper reporter.
Q: What goes into building a strong brand?
