Phillip W. Gillet, Jr. was born and raised in Kern County. He graduated from Delano High School. He completed his undergraduate education at California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Accounting. After graduating from CSUB, Mr. Gillet went to California Western School of Law in San Diego and earned a Juris Doctor degree. While working on his law degree, he also completed a Master of Science in Accountancy, Taxation at San Diego State University, whose programs are ranked among the best in the nation by U.S. News and Success Magazine. During law school, Mr. Gillet taught accounting at San Diego State University and served as a legal intern at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission office in San Diego. Mr. Gillet has taught both accounting and business law at the college level for over 3 years at San Diego Community College, San Diego State University, and California State University, Bakersfield. Mr. Gillet has extensive experience as a small business owner. He helped his father manage his ready-mix company in Delano from the time he was 13. He also started his own mail-order and wholesale trading card company, MVP Sports Cards & Collectibles, that eventually grew into a world-wide mail order and wholesale powerhouse along with a three-store retail chain company headquartered in Bakersfield, California. He had served as Chief Financial Officer and General Counsel to Gillet Trucking. Mr. Gillet currently operates his own law practice emphasizing business, bankruptcy, real estate, probate and tax law.