Clarence Otis to Deliver Crummer School Commencement Address

Commencement ceremonies for the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College will be held on Saturday, April 30, 2005, at 10:00 a.m., in the Alfond Sports Center on the Rollins campus. Darden Restaurants, Inc., Chief Executive Officer, Clarence Otis, will deliver the commencement address.

Otis assumed the role of chief executive officer at Darden Restaurants in 2004, succeeding Joe R. Lee, who led the company for three decades. Previously, Otis served as Darden’s executive vice president and president of Smokey Bones restaurant, which doubled in size under his leadership. Among other roles, he has served as Darden’s chief financial officer. Otis joined Darden in 1995 from Chemcial Securities, Inc. (now JP Morgan Chase), an investment banking firm, where he had served as managing director and manager of public finance. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College and a juris doctorate degree from the Stanford Law School. Otis is a member of the Crummer School Board of Overseers.