Roger Thompson | Board President

Roger currently advises companies and not-for-profits on creating and enhancing enduring concepts, products, and enterprises. Roger recently retired as Senior Vice President of Strategic Marketing & Insights for Darden Restaurants, Inc. where for over 25 years he was responsible for directing strategic research to identify consumer, competitive, economic and social trends and for identifying profitable strategies for Darden Restaurants in light of these trends. These strategies involved both existing and potential new businesses. He is also responsible for co-creating and developing new restaurant enterprises for Darden and developing innovative ways of marketing them. These restaurant concepts have included Olive Garden, Bahama Breeze and Seasons 52.

Roger began his career with Leo Burnett Advertising where he worked as a marketing research analyst on the Procter & Gamble, Star-Kist and Nestlé accounts. He then joined the Green Giant Co. where he was responsible for new product marketing. From there he joined the Specialty Retailing Division of General Mills which consisted of five specialty retailing companies including Talbot's and Eddie Bauer where he was responsible for consumer insights, marketing strategy and planning. He transferred to the restaurant division of General Mills in 1980 which spun-out in 1995 to become an independent corporation – Darden Restaurants – which is the world’s largest full-service restaurant company.

Roger was a member of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Marketing Science Institute and served on advisory committees for the National Restaurant Association Board of Directors and for several restaurant industry groups including the Culinary Institute of America and NPD/CREST. He is also President of the Board of State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara and Chairman of the Governing Board of the Enzian Theater and of the Florida Film Festival. He received an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago and a bachelor’s degree from Lawrence University.