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John Madonna was named Corporate Controller in January 2016. He is responsible for managing Darden’s accounting functions, including financial reporting, corporate tax, corporate accounting and operations information accounting.

John is an experienced accounting and finance leader who began his career with Darden in 2005 as Manager, Corporate Reporting. He joined the LongHorn team in 2009 as Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis before holding a series of roles with increasing responsibility within Darden’s Corporate Reporting function. He was most recently the Senior Vice President of Corporate Reporting and Accounting. Before joining Darden, John began his career with Arthur Andersen and Ernst & Young’s audit practices.

John holds a bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Florida State University and is a Certified Public Accountant.

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Mike Wilson is Senior Vice President of Finance for LongHorn Steakhouse and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. He is responsible for overall financial planning and analysis, operations analysis and control, and capital development review for a company with more than 550 restaurants, 35,000 team members and $2.5 billion in annual sales.

Mike joined Darden in 2010 as a Senior Internal Auditor after working multiple years for Deloitte. During his time at Darden, he has held multiple positions of increasing responsibility in Brand and Enterprise Finance. His Brand finance experience includes roles supporting Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze, Yard House, LongHorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden. Mike has also served multiple years in Enterprise Finance working on M&A, divestiture, corporate restructuring and long-term strategic planning. Most recently, Mike served as Vice President of Finance for Olive Garden.

Mike graduated summa cum laude from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Finance & Accounting. He also holds an MBA from the University of Central Florida and is a Certified Public Accountant.

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Laurie Casler is Vice President, Brand Operations for Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze. In this role, Laurie is responsible for the operation of more than 80 restaurants, leading the Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze teams in delivering exceptional guest experiences and achieving business results.

Laurie has been with Darden for 18 years, first joining as a Sales Manager with The Capital Grille in Providence, R.I. The following year, she transitioned to the brand’s training team, holding a progression of roles including Manager and Director, and eventually moved to oversee all learning and development for Darden’s Specialty Restaurant Group. In 2014, she returned to her roots in Operations with Seasons 52.

Laurie is a Rhode Island native. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Culinary Arts from Newbury College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Rollins College.

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Matthew Gallagher is Vice President, Corporate Executive Chef at Yard House. He leads all culinary efforts in the research, development and ongoing evolution of the brand's restaurants.

Chef Gallagher joined Darden in 2010 as Executive Chef for The Capital Grille, responsible for culinary training at existing and new restaurants. He was promoted to Director of Culinary Deployment and Operations, managing all aspects of menu deployment — including menu production, nutrition, allergen, menu analysis and operations excellence — for six Darden brands. Most recently, he served for five years as Vice President and Executive Chef for Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze, where he led the culinary programs with a focus on simplifying operations while creating fresh and flavorful dishes.

Prior to Darden, Chef Gallagher worked in locally inspired independent restaurants in New England. He also staged in Michelin and AA rated hotels and restaurants in England and Germany.

Chef Gallagher earned his Culinary and MBA degrees from Johnson & Wales University.

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Melinda Anderson is Senior Vice President of Human Resources for Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. In this role, she leads teams responsible for training, development, staffing and employee relations. Melinda also played a crucial role in the integration of Cheddar’s into Darden along with multiple franchise acquisitions over the last several years.

Melinda began her Darden career in 1994 as an hourly team member at Olive Garden and later moved into a restaurant manager role where she developed her passion for human resources. Melinda is a human resources professional with more than 20 years of experience who has led teams in many areas of the HR function at several brands including Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse.

Melinda has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and a master’s degree in Human Resources Management from Rollins College.

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Michael LaDuke is Vice President, Corporate Executive Chef at Eddie V's and The Capital Grille. He oversees the overall menu development and other culinary operations for the brands' restaurants that are renowned for serving fresh seafood, luxury steaks and indulgent experiences.

Chef LaDuke is a 30-year veteran of the food industry with key roles at Disney’s restaurant entities.

He has had multiple national television appearances, including hosting “The Next Food Network Star” with Bobby Flay and Michael Symon, as well as judging Chef Morimoto on “Iron Chef America.”

Chef LaDuke was recognized as Central Florida “Chef of the Year” by Restaurant Forum magazine for his menu improvements to the Brown Derby Restaurant at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and was named to the “Premier Chefs of America” list in 1996.

A native New Yorker, Chef LaDuke holds an associate’s degree in Professional Chef Studies from the State University of New York.

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Michael Senich is the Executive Chef and Vice President of Culinary Development for LongHorn Steakhouse. Chef Senich is responsible for creating and enhancing the quality of LongHorn’s menu items, which are featured in more than 550 restaurants nationwide.

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.

Before assuming his role at LongHorn, Chef Senich oversaw product development for Red Lobster for six years as a member of the executive chef team. Previously, he worked at the world-famous Walt Disney World Resort in various restaurants at the Hollywood Studios theme park before specializing in culinary innovation for the destination.

Chef Senich began his career with the global hotel brand, Marriott International, Inc. where he opened various successful restaurant concepts. He is a self-taught culinary professional that has amassed more than 34 years in the restaurant industry.

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Raj Vennam was named Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer in January 2021 after serving as Senior Vice President, Treasurer since July 2020. He leads all financial functions for the company including accounting, corporate finance, corporate reporting, corporate tax and treasury. In addition, Raj maintains oversight of Darden’s information technology, investor relations and business analytics functions.

Raj began his career at Darden in 2003 as a Sr. Business Analyst for Market Development. He went on to work as a Sr. Financial Analyst in Investment Analysis, Olive Garden Marketing Analysis, and Treasury; and eventually as a Manager of Treasury prior to being promoted to Director of Financial Planning & Analysis for LongHorn in 2010. In 2013, Raj joined Red Lobster as a Sr. Director and progressed to Senior Vice President of Financial Planning & Analysis and Treasury. He returned to Darden in 2016 as Senior Vice President, Finance & Analytics.

Prior to rejoining Darden, Raj worked at The Fresh Market where he served as Vice President, Financial Planning & Analysis and Investor Relations.

Raj earned an MBA from the University of Central Florida. He graduated with a master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Old Dominion University.

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Josh Evans was named Executive Chef in May 2023. In this role, he is responsible for driving menu innovation and culinary operations for Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

Josh is a seasoned culinary professional with more than 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry. Prior to joining Cheddar’s, he spent 12 years on the LongHorn Steakhouse culinary team, where he led menu development, promotions and quality improvements. He first joined the Darden family in 1999 as a dishwasher at Olive Garden and went on to master every position in the heart of the house before departing to pursue his education.

Josh attended culinary school at Johnson and Wales University before earning his Bachelor’s degree in Food and Nutrition from Florida State University. He also holds a Master’s in Food Science from North Carolina State University.

Josh lives in Orlando with his wife and three children. He is an avid traveler, always looking for his next adventure.

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Ron Adelman was named Senior Vice President of Operations for The Capital Grille in 2014. Ron is responsible for overseeing operations for the brand’s 65 restaurants, in addition to The Capital Burger’s three locations, ensuring that both concepts deliver exceptionally distinctive guest experiences and achieve business results. He also plays a critical role in continuing to ensure both brands build on their industry-leading retention and people-first culture.

Throughout his 23-year career with Capital Grille, Ron has held numerous leadership positions. He began his career as a restaurant manager at The Capital Grille in Miami in 1998, working his way up to Managing Partner. In 2004, Ron was promoted to Director of Operations and then Regional Vice President in 2012.

Ron holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Hospitality Management from Johnson & Wales University.

John Madonna

Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller

Mike Wilson

Senior Vice President, Finance, LongHorn Steakhouse

Laurie Casler

Vice President, Brand Operations, Seasons 52 & Bahama Breeze

Matthew Gallagher

Executive Chef, Yard House

Melinda Anderson

Senior Vice President, Human Resources, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

Michael LaDuke

Executive Chef, Eddie V's & The Capital Grille

Michael Senich

Executive Chef, LongHorn Steakhouse

Raj Vennam

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Josh Evans

Executive Chef, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

Ron Adelman

Senior Vice President, Operations, The Capital Grille