Marriel C. Hardy
Chief Branding, Marketing and Alumni Engagement Officer
The Hardy File
-
Residence: Clarksdale, Miss.
-
Education: Alcorn State University (B.A., Mass Communications; M.S., Workforce Education Leadership); Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Certificate in Marketing Strategy, 2016); Hootsuite (Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate, 2026)
-
Administrative Experience:
-
2026–Present: Coahoma Community College (Chief Branding, Marketing and Alumni Engagement Officer)
-
2025–2026: Alcorn State University (Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communication)
-
2023–2025: Talladega College (Vice President of Communications and Marketing)
-
2018-2023: Coahoma Community College (Chief Communications Officer)
Marriel C. Hardy enters his first year as the chief branding, marketing and alumni engagement officer at Coahoma Community College, having returned to the institution in March 2026. Operating out of the Office of the President, he serves as an executive-level leader responsible for architecting and executing the overarching brand strategy, institutional marketing, and reputation management for the college.
Current Impact
In his executive role at Coahoma, Hardy drives enrollment marketing, athletic branding, brand equity, and high-impact digital campaigns to elevate the institution's regional and national profile. His work focuses strictly on macro-level brand architecture and strategic marketing, including amplifying academic programs, student organizations, and community outreach. He collaborates alongside the chief communications officer to ensure visual and strategic alignment across the college, while also managing regional workforce development marketing and building comprehensive alumni engagement databases.
Before Coahoma (Return)
Prior to his return to Clarksdale, Hardy served as the associate vice president of marketing and communication at Alcorn State University, taking his post in February 2025. In this role, he assisted in the oversight of media relations, content creation, research news, internal communications, and social media. Reflecting on his department's success in 2025, Hardy described it as "a year defined by intention, excellence, and teamwork," crediting the achievements to "thoughtful strategy, creative risk-taking, and an unwavering commitment to telling Alcorn State University's story with integrity and purpose."
Before his tenure at Alcorn, he served as the vice president of communications and marketing at Talladega College, Alabama's oldest liberal arts HBCU, from 2023 to 2025. At Talladega, he led the development of new brand and identity standards, created policies and departmental guidelines, and increased social media engagement to record levels.
Earlier in his career, he spent more than five years as the chief communications officer at Coahoma Community College. During that initial tenure, he secured nearly $500,000 in grant funding by leading the institution to five consecutive wins in The Home Depot Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant Program. He also spearheaded the creation of the college's first official brand and identity manual, style guide, and flagship publication, ROAR Magazine. He previously held several positions at Alcorn State University, including media assistant, information services coordinator, and television producer/communications specialist.
Industry Leadership & Affiliations
Hardy is an active voice in higher education strategy and marketing, driven by a huge passion for storytelling and high-level digital production. A staunch supporter of HBCUs, he published his novel, "HBCU Confidential: The Alma Mater's Gambit," in 2026.
He serves as a featured columnist for Modern Campus and has appeared as a guest on the Modern Campus podcast. He also recently appeared on the Higher Thinking podcast, where he explained how his team is breaking down silos across campus, leveraging data and digital campaigns to drive enrollment, and rebuilding brand alignment from the inside out. During his earlier tenure at Alcorn, he served on the game day and scoreboard video standards committees.
Hardy is a member of the Alcorn State University National Alumni Association, College Public Relations Association of Mississippi, and the American Marketing Association. He is an honorary member of Kappa Kappa Psi Honorary Band Fraternity, Inc., and previously served on the executive board of the SOD Club, the official external support group for the Alcorn State University Sounds of Dyn-O-Mite Marching Band.
Personal
A resident of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Hardy earned a bachelor's degree in mass communications and a master's degree in workforce education leadership from Alcorn State University. He holds a Certificate in Marketing Strategy from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and recently completed a Social Media Marketing Professional Certificate from Hootsuite. He is the son of the late Dr. John E. Walls, Jr., an Alcorn State graduate and former national president of the university's National Alumni Association. Hardy and his wife, Catrina, share one adult son, Colbe.
