Erik Rathke serves as Chief Operating Officer at HSI Wealth Strategies, where he leads marketing, recruiting, training, human resources, and finance initiatives to establish HSI as the premier financial planning firm for airline pilots.
Prior to joining HSI in August 2025, Erik spent nearly twelve years at Citigroup, where he most recently led the Home Depot Credit Card Digital portfolio, driving over $5 billion in annual spend and more than one million new accounts annually. Throughout his tenure at Citi, Erik held progressive leadership roles across the Global Consumer Bank in Product Management, Relationship Management, Digital Transformation, Strategy, Credit Risk, Governance, and Fraud Prevention. His exceptional performance earned him two prestigious recognitions: the Leaders in Excellence Award in 2016 and selection for Citi's Leader Accelerator program in 2019.
Erik's corporate career was preceded by nearly twelve years of distinguished service on active duty in the United States Air Force as a C-17 Instructor Pilot, where he accumulated nearly 3,000 flight hours, including 1,000 combat hours. His military achievements include critical deployment operations in Japan following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and in Afghanistan to facilitate the strategic drawdown of U.S. forces in 2014. As Operations Flight Commander for the Special Operations Low Level program, Erik led an elite flying unit responsible for the most challenging and mission-critical Special Operations assignments. Erik was competitively selected for the Phoenix Mobility program, an exclusive three-year leadership development initiative reserved for the top one percent of Air Mobility Command's 3,600 eligible officers.
Erik continues his military service as a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force Reserve, serving on the Headquarters Staff of the Air Force Academy's Admissions Department. In this capacity, he contributes to the recruitment and evaluation of future Air Force officers.
Erik holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Touro University. He is also a graduate of the Air War College, demonstrating his commitment to continuous professional development.
Active in community leadership, Erik has served as Atlanta Chapter President of the Air Force Academy's Association of Graduates and is a graduate of Leadership Atlanta. He has dedicated significant time to youth ministry, holding multiple pastoral roles at his local church, and has volunteered with FourBlock, a nonprofit organization that assists veterans transitioning from military service to corporate careers.
Erik resides in Roswell, Georgia, with his wife Sarah and their four children, and the family is relocating to Colorado.
