Biography

Rick Walsh, Chair, of Orlando, is president of the Knob Hill Group, a private development and strategic investing company. Prior to establishing Knob Hill Group, he served as senior vice president for Corporate Affairs of Darden Restaurants Inc. and was a founding member of the leadership team that took Darden public in 1995.  Following his retirement from Darden, he served as a member of Darden’s Executive Committee and remained a trustee on the Darden Restaurants Foundation until 2007 when he joined the board of the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation. Walsh serves on the UCF College of Business Advisory Council.  He serves on the Board of Directors of the Edyth Bush Foundation, National First Jobs Institute, the Mennello Museum of Art, the MD Anderson Council of Governors, Winter Park Angels Investments Board, Seaside National Bank Board, Blue Orb Software Inc., and several emerging companies.  He is past chairman of the Board of the Florida State Chamber of Commerce.  He is a former board member of the Greater Orlando Chamber of Commerce, Hubbs SeaWorld Research Institute, the National Employment Policy Institute, and the National Restaurant Association.  He formerly served on the Governor’s Florida Tourism Council, the Governor’s Taskforce on Affordable Healthcare, Enterprise Florida, and the Metro-Orlando Economic Development Commission. In 2003, he was chair of Orange County’s Mobility 20/20 transportation initiative.  Walsh has been recognized as Orlando Business Journal’s “Businessman of the Year,” one of “Florida’s 100 Most influential” by Florida Trend Magazine, “25 Most Powerful People in Central Florida” by the Orlando Sentinel, and “50 Most Powerful People in Orlando” by Orlando Magazine.  He attended the University of Central Florida and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1977 and a Master of Public Policy degree in 1983. He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1985.