Gary Petill is from Scranton, Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Hotel Restaurant and Tourism Management from the University of South Carolina. He joined the San Diego Unified School District as Director of the Food Services Department in September 2002, with more than 23 years in hospitality management. He has implemented salad bars in all of the district’s schools, with emphasis in local fresh, organic produce. San Diego Unified has received awards from the USDA Western Region, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and California School Boards Association, and Gary was named Food Service Director Magazine FSD of the Month in July 2010.
Prior to becoming the Director of the Food Services Department, Gary was the Hotel Manager of the historic, four-star U.S. Grant Hotel, and General Manager of the Bristol Hotel both located in downtown San Diego. He also held positions in Catering at the Grand Hyatt New York and Sheraton Harbor Island Hotels.
