Melinda Anderson

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

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.

Michael LaDuke

Executive Chef, Eddie V's & The Capital Grille

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.

Michael Senich

Executive Chef, LongHorn Steakhouse

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.

Raj Vennam

Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

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.

Josh Evans

Executive Chef, Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen

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.

Ron Adelman

Senior Vice President, Operations, The Capital Grille

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.

Sarah King

Senior Vice President, Chief People Officer

Sarah King serves as Darden’s Chief People Officer. A member of Darden’s Executive Team, she leads the execution of Darden’s people strategy as well as building organizational capability and employee culture to further enable Darden’s growth. She is also responsible for all aspects of the HR functions within Darden, including oversight of the HR organizations within each of Darden’s operating companies.

Prior to joining Darden in 2017, Sarah spent 19 years with Wyndham Worldwide Corporation where she worked closely with operators and executive leaders to execute successful people initiatives around the world. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice President, Human Resources for Wyndham Vacation Ownership. In this role, Sarah was responsible for developing and rolling out the company’s people strategy, which focused on enhancing the culture to attract, engage and retain top talent.

A native of New Zealand, Sarah studied communications at the Auckland University of Technology.

Thomas Hall

Executive Vice President, Operations, LongHorn Steakhouse

Thomas Hall is the Executive Vice President of Operations for LongHorn Steakhouse and an Officer of the parent company, Darden Restaurants, Inc. He is responsible for the operation of more than 550 restaurants with 35,000 team members and $2.5 billion in annual sales. Thomas leads a team of five divisional Senior Vice Presidents in delivering against LongHorn’s strategy and providing a quality experience for guests.

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.

Thomas has worked for LongHorn Steakhouse since 2004 and began his career as a dishwasher and grill cook at the brand’s fifth location in Sandy Springs, Ga. He progressed to become the Managing Partner of the same location, Director of Operations, and most recently, Senior Vice President of the Houston Division.

Prior to joining LongHorn Steakhouse, Thomas was an Executive Team Leader at Target. He graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Management Science.

Todd Burrowes

President, LongHorn Steakhouse

Todd Burrowes was named President of LongHorn Steakhouse in July 2015. Todd, who is also a member of Darden Restaurants’ Executive Team, leads 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.

Most recently, Todd served as President, Ruby Tuesday Concept and Chief Operations Officer of Ruby Tuesday, Inc. for two years. Prior to that, Todd spent nearly 10 years at LongHorn in key leadership positions. Todd joined LongHorn in 2002 as a Regional Manager before being promoted to Director of Management Training. In 2004, he was promoted to Regional Vice President of Operations, and in 2008 he was promoted to Executive Vice President of Operations.

Prior to joining LongHorn, Todd served as Regional Director of Operations for Corner Bakery Café for six years. He began his career with Food Service Innovations, owner of several casual dining concepts including Saltgrass Steakhouse, where he progressed to the position of Vice President of Operations.

Todd graduated magna cum laude from the University of Houston with a bachelor’s degree in History.

Dan Kiernan

President, Olive Garden

Dan Kiernan was named President of Olive Garden in January 2018. Dan, who is also a member of Darden Restaurants’ Executive Team, leads a company with more than 900 restaurants, 100,000 team members and more than $4.5 billion in annual sales.

Prior to his current role, Dan served as Executive Vice President of Operations for Olive Garden for more than six years. In this role, Dan’s unique ability to clarify and simplify complex information led to an enhanced, operations-focused culture at Olive Garden. His people-first approach to management helped drive significant business results for Olive Garden while leading to greater efficiency and effectiveness.

Dan began his career with Olive Garden in 1992 as a Manager in Training and worked his way up through the operations system – moving from General Manager to Director of Operations, to Senior Vice President of the Chicago Division before assuming his most recent role.

Prior to joining Olive Garden, Dan spent 13 years with Marie Callender’s holding various operations positions.