CU Denver’s Executive MBA in Aviation Taps Global Leaders to Train Next-Gen Executives
Faculty includes top voices from United Airlines, WestJet, Hawaiian Airlines, and the FAA, bringing real-world leadership into the classroom.
Denver, CO, Oct. 20, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) Business School, today announced the renowned faculty shaping curriculum for its newly launched Executive MBA in Aviation, bringing together a team of industry veterans and academic leaders to guide the program’s inaugural class.
The faculty includes former and current airline and airport executives, military leaders, and global aviation strategists who have collectively shaped policy, advanced technology, and led organizations through some of the industry’s most transformative periods. Through an immersive learning experience, they will provide students with an unmatched perspective on the challenges and opportunities shaping aviation today.
The Executive MBA in Aviation was created to address pressing needs in the aviation industry, including leadership development, workforce shortages, sustainability, and digital transformation. With faculty who have served at the highest levels of airlines, airports, regulatory agencies, and aerospace firms, the program offers students direct access to insights from the decision-makers who have defined modern aviation – preparing experienced professionals to become the next generation of leaders.
CU Denver will deliver the 18-month hybrid, cohort-based program to enable students to pursue their degree without career interruption. The Executive MBA in Aviation provides all the foundational knowledge of a traditional MBA while immersing students in the interconnected elements that drive aviation, from crisis management and airport operations to aviation security and revenue management.
“This faculty represents the best of both practice and scholarship in aviation. They bring decades of leadership experience from across the globe, and they are deeply committed to preparing the next generation of executives who will guide aviation into a new era,” said David Chandler, Program Director, Executive MBA in Aviation at CU Denver.
“I am thrilled to be part of the first-ever Executive MBA dedicated entirely to aviation. The aviation industry has a way of getting in your blood and it fuels a level of passion and dedication unlike any other. I look forward to sharing my experience and what I’ve learned throughout my career to help prepare the next generation of aviation leaders,” said Charles Duncan MBA, Former Chief Strategy Officer, WestJet Airlines.
“As a bonafide aviation geek, I’m honored to share both my experience and passion for the aviation industry with the inaugural cohort of CU Denver’s MBA in Aviation program,” said Donnell Harvey, MBA, vice president of Aviation Real Estate at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). “The faculty’s exceptional breadth of expertise offers students invaluable, real-world insights into this dynamic and ever-evolving field.”
“As a pracademic, I’ve always believed that the value of education is best evidenced in its application. Great ideas and great approaches are only as powerful as their ability to create real-world impact,” said John Wagner PhD, Project Lead, Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport. “Theory is an explanatory lens bringing challenges and opportunities into focus. We will read, reflect together, and produce solutions. Education enables us, in a single lifetime, to learn from the successes and failures of millions. We are going to have so much fun.”
Teaching courses such as Aviation Security, Aviation Strategy, Airport Operations, Crisis Management, and The Future of Aviation, the diverse faculty brings decades of experience and perspectives from across the aviation ecosystem. Faculty for the first cohort of students, who will begin classes in January 2026, include:
- Jung Park, Founder, Sherpath Coaching
- Scott McCartney, Former Columnist, The Wall Street Journal
- Michelle Marks, Professor + former Chancellor (2020-24), CU Denver
- Brent Burgess, Executive Director, Aviation Consulting & Research, Jeppesen
- Kate Watkins, State Demographer, Colorado Legislature
- Bob Westgate, Managing Director, Network Planning + Scheduling, Hawaiian Airlines (Retired)
- Mary Malina, Professor, CU Denver
- John Wagner, Project Lead, Southern Nevada Supplemental Airport
- Marci Armstrong, Professor of Practice, SMU Cox School of Business
- Douglas Downey, Presidential Advance Agent, Air Force One (former)
- Subodh Karnik, Former CEO, ExpressJet Airlines
- Alex Tarter, Director, AlixPartners
- Charles Duncan, Former Chief Strategy Officer, WestJet Airlines; Snr. Advisor, AltitudeX Aviation Group
- Donnell Harvey, VP of Aviation Estate, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
- Mike Hendron, Director, BYU Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship + Technology
- Oscar Munoz, CEO (retired), United Airlines
- Ryan Nalty, MSc, DIC, Director, CU Bolder
- Edward Russell, Aviation and Transportation Journalist
Beyond the classroom, CU Denver’s aviation faculty will contribute to industry forums, public thought leadership, and collaborative research, positioning the program as a hub for dialogue on aviation’s future. In-person classes will be held at Denver International Airport, the sixth busiest airport in the world -- a one-of-a-kind learning environment that places students behind the scenes as aviation’s future unfolds through real-time operations and decision-making at scale.
To learn more about the program, view full faculty biographies, and explore scholarship options available to the first class of students, visit: https://business.ucdenver.edu/mba/emba-aviation
About the University of Colorado Denver
Millions of moments start at CU Denver, a place where innovation, research, and learning meet in the heart of a global city. We’re the state’s premier public urban research university with more than 100 in-demand, top-ranked bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs. We partner with diverse learners—at any stage of their life and career—for transformative educational experiences. Across seven schools and colleges, our leading faculty inspires and works alongside students to solve complex challenges and produce impactful, creative work. As part of the state’s largest university system, CU Denver is a major contributor to the Colorado economy, with 2,000 employees and an annual economic impact of $800 million. To learn more about how CU Denver helps learners meet their moment, visit ucdenver.edu.
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Antonya Asante CU Denver Business School, Press Inquiries aasante@yesandagency.com Mary Ann Skadow, Director, Recruiting and Marketing Executive MBA in Aviation Program Inquiries maryann.skadow@ucdenver.edu CU Denver, Press Inquiries mediatips@ucdenver.edu
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