Erik Hartley

Erik Hartley serves as a Lecturer in the Aviation Management program at Central Washington University (CWU), leveraging extensive military and civilian aviation experience. His background includes six years of military service maintaining F-16 and C-130 aircraft with deployments to Afghanistan and Central America, followed by a career in airport planning and management prior to transitioning to academia.

His expertise centers on airport planning, aviation operations, and infrastructure development. At CWU, he teaches core courses including airport planning, management, operations, safety management systems, and aviation capstone projects. Erik emphasizes practical industry readiness through real-world case studies, hands-on projects, and guest speakers from aviation sectors, focusing on critical thinking and problem-solving skills to prepare students for immediate workforce impact.