hatcher hails from nashville, tennessee and attended montgomery bell academy, famous as the source for the blockbuster film dead poets society. in 1997, hatcher graduated from the university of georgia, which honored him as one of its top 40 under 40 graduates in 2013. in 2005, hatcher received his masters from the middlebury institute of international studies at monterey (miis), where he delivered the student commencement address alongside russian scientist roald sagdeev and philanthropist susan eisenhower. the u.s. government honored him as a presidential management fellow in 2005.