CU Denver Students Are Shaping the Future of Airport Leadership through Specialized Executive MBA Program

Applications Open for Cohort 2 of Aviation Industry’s Only Executive MBA Program

Designing and running an airport is about more than what travelers see.

For Lucy Arledge, a Chicago-based architect, the work has long centered on the human experience—how people move through security and terminals, where they pause, what makes a space feel comfortable and the journey intuitive.

“I’ve spent nearly a decade shaping human-centered airport environments,” she said. “But my role has more recently evolved to include building client relationships and influencing long-term business goals.”

That shift revealed something bigger: airports are shaped by far more than design alone. Behind every terminal expansion, security checkpoint, and passenger experience are layers of operations, finance, planning, and strategy—parts of the industry that are becoming increasingly interconnected.

It’s also why the University of Colorado Denver Business School launched its Executive MBA in Aviation program. Professionals from across the country want to understand how these pieces fit together. They are enrolling not to leave their careers behind, but to lead the industry to what is next.

From Airport Design to Aviation Strategy

“I want to help shape the strategic decisions behind aviation infrastructure projects,” she said. “To understand how funding, operations, and capital planning influence what gets built and how those decisions shape airport performance.”

That realization led her to the Executive MBA in Aviation at CU Denver—a specialized program built for professionals already working in the aviation industry.

“CU Denver is already expanding my understanding of airports as complex, interconnected systems,” she said. “Coursework in aviation history, technology and analytics, and leadership has helped me build a strong foundation to see the industry from multiple perspectives beyond design.”

Why the Aviation Industry Needs Cross-Disciplinary Leaders

Arledge’s experience reflects a broader shift across aviation. Airports aren’t just buildings—they are shaped by layers of regulation, funding, operations, and long-term planning in addition to being regional economic drivers. As that complexity grows, so does the need for people who can move between those worlds.

That’s the space CU Denver’s Executive MBA in Aviation is trying to fill.

Offered in a hybrid format, with classes held at Denver International Airport and week-long residencies at airports around the world, the program brings together professionals from across the country—people working in design, technology, operations, and beyond—who are all trying to better understand how the industry fits together.

A National Cohort Brings Diverse Aviation Experience to CU Denver

For Amanda Drescher, that breadth was a big part of the appeal.

“I’ve been looking at various master’s programs for the last few years, waffling between different focuses,” she said. “When I found CU Denver’s aviation-specific MBA program, the curriculum really fit my desire to learn broadly across the industry.”

Based in Seattle, Drescher has built her career in passenger and agent technologies but is now looking to expand into new areas.

“I am most excited to gain exposure to operations and planning,” she said. “I love any opportunity to learn and am insatiably curious about all aspects of aviation.”

Like many in the cohort, she didn’t enroll with a single, fixed outcome in mind.

“I think many of us enrolled in this program with the desire to pivot our roles and find clarity on our next move,” she said. “I hope that these varied topics, professors, and speakers help refine what that next step might look like.”

CU Denver Students Connect Operations, Finance, and Design

That mix of perspectives is part of what shapes the program experience.

Students are learning alongside people who approach aviation from completely different angles, and those conversations are just as important as the coursework itself.

“The most valuable resource so far has been the opportunity to learn alongside professionals from across the aviation industry,” Arledge said. “Engaging with peers who bring diverse perspectives—from operations to finance to policy—is creating a dynamic learning environment that extends beyond the classroom.”

Those interactions are already changing how she approaches her work as an architect.

“That expanded perspective allows me to connect strategy, operations, and design in a cohesive approach,” she said.

How CU Denver is Positioned to Lead in Aviation Executive Education

The idea for the program grew out of that same reality. Aviation doesn’t sit in one discipline, and the people working in it increasingly can’t either.

“At a time when universities are being asked to demonstrate their value in more explicitly, programs at this level only work if they are closely tied to the industries they serve,” said David Chandler, associate dean of executive programs in the CU Denver Business School. “We are well positioned to help aspiring leaders build bridges across silos in complex ecosystems, such as aviation.”

Denver International Airport is the largest economic driver in the Rocky Mountain region, shaping everything from infrastructure and business development to global connectivity. Aviation itself is a global industry that’s only becoming more complex.

“There’s a real need to develop leaders who understand how all of these pieces fit together,” said Chandler. “CU Denver is a place where industry and education are closely connected. And, given that students work while they study, they bring real challenges into the classroom and are immediately able to apply what they learn in their companies. This back-and-forth is why the EMBA degree continues to add value for current and future executives.”

As the inaugural cohort moves through its first year, these exchanges are already shaping how students think about their careers—and the industry more broadly.

Preparing the Next Generation of Aviation Leaders

For Arledge, it’s about stepping more fully into the strategic side of aviation design.

“I want to grow into senior leadership within the aviation practice at my firm, serving as a trusted advisor who can bridge creative design thinking with complex business and operational strategy,” she said.

For Drescher, it’s about staying open to where the experience might lead.

“There is never a ‘best time’ to do something like this,” she said. “If you’ve been considering an EMBA, take the leap. You will be energized by the mental stimulation and impressive colleagues and instructors—it really does rejuvenate you.”

Together, their stories offer an early look at what the program is trying to build—not just a new credential, but a different way of thinking about aviation at a moment when the industry is being reshaped in real time.