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.

Chris Chang

Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer

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Chris Chang was named Chief Information Officer in April 2016. He oversees all information services and technology functions for Darden.

Previously, Chris served as Senior Vice President, Technology Strategy, Innovation and Planning where he was responsible for leading Darden’s overall technology strategic plan and for working closely with key business and IT leaders to build and leverage business capabilities to drive value creation. This included leading the development of Darden’s new Digital Platform designed to enable the Company to leverage data and insights more effectively.

Chris joined Darden from Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas where he served as Corporate Vice President, Innovation and Information Technology Strategy. There, he founded and led the innovation team that was focused on developing, piloting, and implementing new technologies and business solutions across 50 casino properties worldwide. He also led the company’s innovation portal efforts, where employees from across the company were encouraged to submit new ideas, vote on their favorites, and comment/collaborate to bring new ideas to life.

Prior to Caesars, Chris served as Vice President, Strategy and Product Management for Denver-based INFONOW Corporation, where he led the company’s overall strategy and business-process design efforts.

Chris holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Doug Milanes

Senior Vice President, Chief Supply Chain Officer

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Doug Milanes was named Chief Supply Chain Officer in May 2015. He is responsible for sourcing, distribution and quality assurance for all Darden concepts. Doug’s team of supply professionals manages over $2 billion in capital and food product expenditures and $1 billion in non-food expenditures on an annual basis. The supply team sources more than 26 million cases of product from 1,500 vendors in 10 countries around the world.

Most recently, Doug served as Senior Vice President, Purchasing, for Darden where he was responsible for Proteins, Beverages, and Food Commodities/Ingredients. He started Indirect Sourcing (non-food areas) in 2014, driving programs in categories such as Advertising, IT, and Restaurant Services.

Prior to Darden, Doug served as Vice President, Global Procurement and Operations for New York-based Pfizer, where he was responsible for strategic commercial sourcing and global procurement operations, leading a team of 450 associates in five countries with responsibility for over $11 billion in purchases. He also served as Chief Financial Officer for the company’s Capsugel Division. Before Pfizer, Doug was with Unilever and Kraft Foods.

Doug holds a bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MBA in Business Administration from New York University’s Stern School of Business.

Drew Minervino

Senior Vice President, Operations, Yard House

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Drew Minervino was named Senior Vice President of Operations for Yard House in 2020. In this role, Drew is responsible for the operation of more than 85 restaurants, ensuring the Yard House team delivers exceptional guest experiences and achieves business results. He brings to his role an intense passion for guest hospitality. His people-first approach has been the cornerstone of helping grow the brand and create opportunities for its next leaders.

Throughout his 16 years with Yard House, Drew has held numerous leadership positions across the organization. He started with the brand in 2005 as a General Manager and was promoted to Director of Operations the following year. He joined the Darden family when it acquired Yard House in 2012 and was promoted to Regional Vice President of Operations in 2017.

Drew has more than 25 years’ experience in the restaurant industry. He began his career in 1996 with C.A. Muer Corporation. Prior to that, he worked in hotel management for five years. Drew grew up in South Florida and attended Palm Beach Community College.