A high school guidance counselor recommended him for a scholarship at Williams College, the highly selective liberal arts institution in Massachusetts. Otis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Williams in 1977 and went on to earn a law degree at Stanford in 1980.
Otis landed on Wall Street as a merger and acquisitions attorney for J.P. Morgan Securities. He joined Darden Restaurants in 1995 as corporate treasurer. He became CEO in 2004.
“When I first interviewed [to become treasurer] at Darden, I felt, here’s an organization that is pretty multidimensional compared to Wall Street. I liked the mass appeal of the brands, the fact that they really were pervasive. And you’ve got this broad employee base that was diverse in every respect, in an industry where folks can really go from entry level to the top. And it was an organization that was earnest. It had humility that I as comfortable with.”
Remember one of the beatitudes which states: “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth?” Forbes reported Otis’ total compensation in 2006 as $1.91 million. This modest salary ranked him #423 among other CEO’s salaries in the nation.
Respecting his achievements, I honor Clarence Otis, Jr. as my honoree for Black History Month, 2008. With total disregard for his race, Otis is deserving of honor based on merit alone. I feel many would agree with me.
* The Company’s website, Forbes and Business Week provided information for this article.
