Hatley is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary as well as having a bachelor's degree in Business and Human Resource Management.

Over the last twenty-five years, Hatley has worked in manufacturing with a global Fortune 100 company, the United States government and managed multiple non-profit organizations and is the founder of Growing Entrepreneurs International (2010) and GEI Thailand Foundation (2013).

He has also lived and worked in India and Thailand as part of a team starting new small businesses and has created opportunities for business internships and apprenticeships in the emerging world. 

Since college, Hatley has had a passion for mentoring and has personally invested in the lives of hundreds of college students and young professionals.