Dr. Gary Deel has spent more than 12 years as a professor at various institutions, including Valencia College, University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV), Colorado Technical University (CTU), Kaplan University, the Art Institutes (AI), the University of Central Florida (UCF), American Public University System (APUS), Colorado State University (CSU), and University of Florida (UFL). Gary has developed and taught courses in business, hospitality, leadership, ethics, law, professionalism, sales and marketing, engineering, maintenance, culinary arts, human resources, space studies, astronomy, and other academic areas. Gary currently serves as a Professor for the APUS School of Business, and as Adjunct Professor for the hospitality and business programs at UCF, CSU, and UFL.
Prior to and concurrent with Gary's academic work, he spent more than a decade in hospitality management and leadership, working for prestigious companies including Disney, Rosen Hotels, Picsolve, Merlin Entertainments, and Wynn Resorts. Gary has also worked as an attorney, consultant, and expert witness in the legal arena, assisting lawyers with various hospitality-related litigation support services.
Gary holds ten college degrees including AS Degrees in Hospitality and Culinary Arts from Valencia College; AS, BS, and MS Degrees in Space Studies from APUS; a BA in Psychology from APUS; BS and MS Degrees in Hotel/Tourism Management from UCF; a JD in Law from Florida A&M University (FAMU); and a PhD in Hotel Administration from UNLV. Gary has also held numerous licenses and industry certifications, including bar licenses in Florida, Nevada, and the District of Columbia. His past and present credentials include Certified Lodging Security Director (CLSD), Certified Hospitality Sales Professional (CHSP), Certified Hotel Sales Executive (CHSE), Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE), Certification in Hotel Industry Analytics (CHIA), Certified Human Resources Professional (SHRM-CP), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), Associate Protection Professional (APP), various National Restaurant Association (NRA) ServSafe certifications, and others.
Gary is an accomplished author, having published over 450 blogs, podcasts, videos, and peer-reviewed articles for various media outlets and platforms. He has also been interviewed for newspapers, magazines, periodicals, podcasts, and televised news segments. In September, Dr. Deel successfuly passed the CSC exam, becoming a Certified Security Consultant.