2013 Alumni Awardee: Gary L. Miller

Director of Energy & Cost Excellence (Retired July 2011), Tesoro Petroleum.
BS, Chemical Engineering, 1978.

Gary retired in 2011 as the Director Energy and Cost Excellence for Tesoro. He was based at the company’s headquarters in San Antonio, TX. Among his duties Gary was charged with optimizing Tesoro’s refining operations across the nation. Upon his retirement Gary “returned home” to reside in Anacortes.

Gary had served locally for Tesoro as Northwest Regional Manager and reported directly to the Refinery Manager in Anacortes. The Anacortes location had in excess of 300 employees at the time and was looking to expand. Previously, he had worked with Shell Petroleum as a Vice President at refining locations in Odessa, TX and Houston, TX.

Gary’s WSU student experience was a good one. He said that his time at WSU was really a means to an end, but he appreciated the extremely practical instruction of Chemical Engineering Professor, George Austin. There were 23 students in his Chem E class. About 1/3 were also from his hometown of Richland, and he remains in touch with many of them.

Gary has been a long time donor to the Voiland School. This past fall he made his first visit back to campus in many years to speak in the Voiland School Seminar class. He had made one special trip back in 2000 to bring his father, George Miller ME ‘50, back to campus to celebrate his golden grad reunion.