Dr. Victor Gielisse is vice president of advancement & business development at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Chef Gielisse's responsibilities include all of the college's alumni relations and fund-raising initiatives as well as stewarding the CIA's relationship within the foodservice industry, including business development, consulting, custom training programs, industry outreach, licensing programming, and donor support opportunities.

Chef Gielisse is one of 66 Certified Master Chefs (CMC) in the United States, earning the Crystal Chef Award for the highest score in the CMC examination. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree, a Master of Business Administration (MBA), and a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from The School of Administration and Management of California Coast University. He is also a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) with a graduate diploma from the Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

Chef Gielisse was born in the Netherlands, where he also apprenticed. During his career he has worked in Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Southern Africa, and since 1979, in the United States. Prior to joining the CIA administration in 1998, he was the chef/owner of the Ivy Award-winning restaurant Actuelle in Dallas, TX and president of the consulting firm CFT/Culinary Fast-Trac and Associates Inc. Chef Gielisse served as the Chairman of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) Culinary Competition Committee. He is a coach and advisor to ACF Culinary Team USA; and was a judge of the 2004 and 2008 IKA Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Germany.

He is the author of Cuisine Actuelle and In Good Taste, A Contemporary Approach to Cooking, as well as the co-author of the CIA cookbook Modern Batch Cookery (John Wiley & Sons, 2011). Chef Gielisse was manager of the CIA's Culinary Team 2000 that won three gold medals and a silver award at Hotelympia 2000 in England, and five silver medals at the IKA Culinary Olympics. He was a member of the 1984 U.S. Culinary Olympic Team and the 1986 U.S. National Team that won the first Culinary World Cup. In 1999, Chef Gielisse was named one of "The 50 New Taste Makers" in the United States' hospitality industry by Nation's Restaurant News; and named "Best Seafood Chef in America" by Restaurant and Business Magazine.