Vanderburgh Circuit Court Judge Ryan Hatfield already has had a long career in public service, and his alma mater, Purdue University, recognized that by presenting him with this year’s Emerging Voice Award.
“I was honored to receive this award,” he says. “It came as quite a surprise to me.”
The award from Purdue’s College of Liberal Arts distinguishes alumni who have excelled in their careers and are engaged in their communities. Hatfield’s professor at Purdue, Robert Browning, followed Hatfield’s career after his graduation in 2010 and nominated him for the award. Browning cited Hatfield’s service in public roles: first as Vanderburgh County Deputy Prosecutor from 2013 to 2016, then as an Indiana State Representative for District 77 from 2016 to 2024. Hatfield has served on the Vanderburgh Circuit Court since Jan. 2, 2025. He was notified in February that he had been awarded the prize at Purdue.
It’s not his first award, though. He was recognized as an emerging leader in 2018 by the Indiana Farm Bureau. In 2024, he received the Making Democracy Work Award from the League of Women Voters of Southwestern Indiana, as well as the Civility Award from the Association of Retired Members of the Indiana General Assembly (ARMIGA).
He was honored on Purdue’s campus on April 11 and spent the day speaking in leadership-focused classes before attending an evening awards ceremony.
“It was fun to be back on campus … and humbling to be recognized,” Hatfield says.
