The National Business Group on Health, a non-profit association of 420 large U.S. employers, announced today the appointment of Julie Griffin, senior vice president, total rewards and employee services at Darden Restaurants, to its elite board of directors.

"We are delighted that Julie has agreed to join our talented board of directors," said Brian Marcotte, President and CEO of the National Business Group on Health. "She brings a diverse experience and industry background to help large employers address a variety of health care benefit and HR issues. We are confident Julie will make valuable contributions to our board and employer members."

In her role at Darden Restaurants, Ms. Griffin leads the compensation, benefits, payroll, HR Service Center and HR Information Systems teams for the company and its 150,000 employees. Prior to joining Darden in early 2015, she was vice president, compensation for ConAgra Foods, a global consumer products company. Ms. Griffin holds a Master's of Science degree in Industrial/Organization Psychology and the Certified Compensation Professional® (CCP®) designation from the WorldatWork Society.

"On behalf of our board of directors, we welcome Julie and know that she will be a tremendous asset to our members as they continue to develop solutions to control rising health care benefit costs while providing quality care to their employees and families," said Judith Verhave, Chairman of the Board of the National Business Group on Health.

About the National Business Group on Health® 

The National Business Group on Health is the nation's only non-profit organization devoted exclusively to representing large employers' perspective on national health policy issues and helping companies optimize business performance through health improvement, innovation and health care management. The Business Group leads initiatives to address the most relevant health care issues facing employers today and enables human resource and benefit leaders to learn, share and leverage best practices from the most progressive companies. Business Group members, which include 72 Fortune 100 companies, provide health coverage for more than 50 million U.S. workers, retirees and their families. For more information, visit www.businessgrouphealth.org.