Chris Albanese

Senior Vice President, Finance, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

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Chris Albanese is Senior Vice President, Finance for Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc.. In this role, he leads the brand finance team responsible for financial planning & analysis, marketing analysis, investment analysis, and operations analysis.

Chris began his career at Darden in 1993 as a Systems Specialist for Employee Services. From there, he went on to work as a Financial Analyst, Sr. Financial Analyst and eventually Manager, Operations Analysis at Red Lobster. After subsequent leadership roles in Supply Chain Finance and Business Analytics, Chris was promoted to Director of Finance for Olive Garden in 2014, where he led the Financial Planning & Analysis and Operations Analysis teams. In 2016, he joined the finance team at LongHorn Steakhouse where he was promoted to Sr. Director of Finance. Chris was promoted to his current role following Darden’s acquisition of Cheddar’s in 2017.

Chris graduated from Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Social Science, and earned an MBA from the University of Central Florida.

Charlie Davis

Senior Vice President, Operations, Bahama Breeze

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Charlie Davis was named Senior Vice President of Operations for Bahama Breeze in 2016. In this role, Charlie is responsible for the operation of more than 40 restaurants, ensuring the Bahama Breeze team delivers exceptional guest experiences and achieves business results. He also plays a critical role in continuing to build a high-performance culture where team members are engaged and proud to contribute to the success of the brand.

Throughout his 27-year career with Darden, Charlie has held numerous leadership positions across the organization. He began his career as a restaurant manager at Red Lobster in 1992, working his way up to General Manager. In 2001, Charlie transitioned to Olive Garden as a General Manager, and was promoted to Director of Operations in 2003 before joining the Bahama Breeze team as Director of Operations in 2011.

Charlie holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Administration and Management from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Christine Wilson

Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Specialty Restaurant Group

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Christine Wilson was named Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Darden’s Specialty Restaurant Group in 2020. She is responsible for leading the human resources function, including recruiting, training, employee relations and talent development for The Capital Grille, Eddie V’s, Bahama Breeze, Seasons 52 and Yard House. These brands combined have more than 260 locations and annual sales of $2.2 billion.  Additionally, she oversees Darden Restaurants’ enterprise-wide employee relations function.

Christine joined Darden after its acquisition of RARE Hospitality International, where she started as a server and worked in various roles leading to her promotion to Director of Employee Relations and, ultimately, Vice President of Human Resources.

Christine is a restaurant industry veteran with 32 years of experience. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Clark University.

Laura Williamson

Senior Vice President, Finance, Olive Garden

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Laura Williamson is Senior Vice President of Finance for Olive Garden and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. In this role, she is responsible for overall financial planning and analysis, operations analysis and control, marketing analysis, and capital development review for a brand with more than 900 restaurants, 100,000 team members and more than $4.5 billion in annual sales.

Laura began her career with Darden in 1997 as Supervisor of Sales Cash. Since then, she has held many positions of increasing responsibility in various areas of Accounting, Brand Finance and Enterprise Finance. Her experience includes eight years with Red Lobster at the Analyst, Sr. Analyst, Manager and Director levels, roles supporting Darden Restaurants as Director of Finance and Strategy, Director of Corporate Analysis and as Senior Director of Finance for Olive Garden. Most recently, Laura served as Senior Vice President, Finance for LongHorn Steakhouse.

Laura holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida State University. She is also a Certified Public Accountant.

Monika Saxena

Executive Vice President, Marketing, LongHorn Steakhouse

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Monika Saxena is Executive Vice President of Marketing for LongHorn Steakhouse and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. Monika oversees brand marketing, culinary and beverage development, consumer insights, guest relations, and media and communications for a company with more than 550 restaurants, 35,000 team members and $2.5 billion in annual sales.

Known for its passion for grilling fresh, tender, juicy steaks – including the signature Flo’s Filet and the Outlaw Ribeye – LongHorn welcomes guests with a warm, inviting, friendly atmosphere reminiscent of the American West.

Monika has served on LongHorn Steakhouse’s Marketing team in various roles for more than 10 years and has also held the position of Vice President of Marketing for Bahama Breeze. Prior to joining Darden, she worked at Johnson and Johnson leading marketing efforts for Motrin, Tylenol PM, and Children’s Tylenol.

Monika holds an MBA from the University of Rochester and a Bachelor’s degree in Business from the Jesus and Mary College in New Delhi, India. Monika lives in Orlando with her husband and two children. When she’s not working, she’s focused on planning the next family adventure.

Ray Comiskey

Executive Chef, Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze

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Ray Comiskey is Vice President, Corporate Executive Chef at Seasons 52 and Bahama Breeze. He leads the research, conceptualization and development of the brands' signature food and beverage menu, creating fresh and flavorful dining experiences for guests.

Chef Comiskey has spent more than 30 years crafting unparalleled and memorable experiences centered around food and beverages. His culinary journey began during a high school vocational course, where he actively contributed to the operations of a local restaurant, ascending to the role of kitchen supervisor upon graduation, an experience he credits for the discovery of his passion.

Continuing his pursuit of excellence, Chef Comiskey earned an associate’s degree from The Culinary Institute of America in New York and a bachelor’s degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from Johnson & Wales. He has made significant contributions throughout his career, serving as Corporate Executive Chef for Morton’s in Chicago, Executive Chef Partner for The Capital Grille in Kansas City for 14 years, and Vice President, Corporate Executive Chef for Eddie V's for 10 years.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Chef Comiskey dedicates his personal time to helping young people grow. As a guide for a Cub Scout pack of 67 young boys, he teaches valuable skills ranging from culinary arts to essential camping techniques.

Rick Cardenas

President & Chief Executive Officer

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Rick Cardenas became President and Chief Executive Officer of Darden Restaurants on May 30, 2022. A 35-year veteran of the company, who began his career with Darden as a busser, Rick was unanimously elected by Darden’s Board of Directors in December 2021 to become the company’s fourth CEO.

Rick moved from the restaurants to Darden’s restaurant support center in 1992 as an Auditor. From there, he held increasingly more responsible positions including Director of Corporate Development, Director of Finance and Technology for Seasons 52, Vice President of Finance and Assistant Controller for Olive Garden, Senior Vice President of Finance and Controller for LongHorn Steakhouse, Senior Vice President of Finance and Controller for Red Lobster, and Executive Vice President of Operations for LongHorn Steakhouse.

In July 2015, Rick became Darden’s Chief Strategy Officer, then progressed to serve as Chief Financial Officer in March 2016. He returned to Operations to serve as President and Chief Operating Officer in January 2021 before being promoted to his current role.

Rick briefly left the company in 1998 to work for management consulting firms Bain & Company and the Parthenon Group.

Rick graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Finance & Accounting. He earned an MBA from The Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College and is a Certified Public Accountant. He currently serves as a member of the board of directors of Tractor Supply Company.

Susan Connelly

Senior Vice President, Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer

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Susan Connelly was named Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer in June 2019. A member of Darden’s Executive Team, she is responsible for corporate and brand communications, digital marketing, government relations and public policy, philanthropy, and the company’s community engagement strategy and sustainability initiatives.

Previously, Susan served as Senior Vice President, Communications and Corporate Affairs. Prior to that, she served as Vice President, Government Relations where she led the government relations, community affairs, and sustainability functions for Darden. She was responsible for developing external engagement strategies that aligned with ongoing business objectives. Susan joined Darden in 2007 as Director, State, and Local Government Relations.

Prior to joining Darden, Susan was Government Relations Manager for McDonald’s USA where she directed state and local advocacy for the Eastern United States. Susan also served as Director of State Affairs for the Grocery Manufacturers Association, serving as their primary legislative and regulatory advocate in the Northeast.

Susan serves on the boards of the National Restaurant Association and the Florida Chamber of Commerce. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of Suffolk University and a trustee of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from St. Anselm College in Manchester, N.H., and earned an MBA from the Sawyer Business School at Suffolk University in Boston, MA.

Theresa Willings

Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Olive Garden

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Theresa Willings is Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Olive Garden and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. She oversees staffing, training and development, employee relations, succession planning, diversity, performance and rewards management, and HR strategic planning for a company with more than 900 restaurants, 100,000 employees and more than $4.5 billion in annual sales. In addition to leading HR for Olive Garden, Theresa is a member of Darden’s HR Leadership Team, providing input on people strategies and priorities impacting all brands.

Theresa began her career at Darden in 1989 as an HR intern in Toronto, Canada. She was hired fulltime as a Recruiting Assistant and was promoted soon after to Management Instructor/HR Generalist. After relocating to the US in 1996, she held progressively responsible positions in Training & Development for Olive Garden becoming Director of Training & Development in 1998 and then Director of Employee Relations in 2001. In 2003, Theresa was promoted to Vice President of Human Resources for Smokey Bones. In 2007, she was promoted to Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Olive Garden.

Theresa holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science with honors from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, and a Personnel Certificate in Human Resource Management from Seneca College in Toronto.

Bryan Clements

Executive Vice President, Operations, Olive Garden

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Bryan Clements is Executive Vice President of Operations for Olive Garden and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. He is responsible for operations a company with more than 900 restaurants, 100,000 employees and more than $4.5 billion in annual sales. Bryan also leads Olive Garden’s Operations Excellence team in executing initiatives that support the brand’s business objectives.

Bryan has a strong ability to coach and develop others, inspiring passion to support business goals and achieve strong financial results. He leads a team of eight division Senior Vice Presidents of Operations and ensures that a variety of culinary, beverage, service, training and quality assurance initiatives are aligned with Olive Garden’s strategies at the restaurant level, all focused on making every guest and team member feel like family.

Bryan has worked for Olive Garden for nine years, most recently serving as Senior Vice President. He began his career with Darden as a Director of Operations for LongHorn Steakhouse in 2005 before joining Olive Garden as Regional Vice President in 2012.

Prior to joining Darden, Bryan spent five years as Director of Operations for Champs America. He graduated from University of Central Florida in 1994 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business.