Ruby Tuesday announced the appointment of Rhonda Parish as chief legal officer, effective March 16, 2015. 

Parish is a seasoned restaurant executive with more than 30 years of experience in retail and restaurant industries. Parish most recently served as the chief legal officer of Einstein Noah Restaurant Group in Lakewood, Colorado, and was previously the chief legal officer of Denny’s Corporation (and its predecessor companies) in Spartanburg, South Carolina. 

Parish also held a number of executive positions, including assistant general counsel at Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. in Bentonville, Arkansas.

Parish serves on the Board of Directors of the Center for Legal Inclusiveness, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to advancing diversity in the legal profession by actively educating and supporting private and public sector legal organizations in their own individual campaigns to create cultures of inclusion. 

Parish has served as a member on the United States Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and on the board of directors of both the Charles Lea Center and the Charles Lea Center Foundation in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Parish earned a B.S. degree in Political Science from the University of Central Arkansas and her J.D. degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law.

“I am thrilled to welcome Rhonda to the Ruby Tuesday family, and to have Rhonda as a key thought partner and member of our Executive Team," says JJ Buettgen, chairman, president, and CEO. "Rhonda brings a wealth of executive experience in the restaurant and retail industries, which will strengthen our team and company.”

“I am excited to join the Ruby Tuesday team, to help guide the company’s continued transformation efforts, and to lead its regulatory and legal requirements," Parish says. "I am very excited about our future at Ruby Tuesday.”