TODD IS A LEADER AND INNOVATOR. He is an attorney-mediator with his own mediation practice in Houston, Litton Mediation, and he has recently begun leading an Impact Investment organization in Houston, SWAN Impact, that helps entrepreneurs tackling some of the world’s biggest climate and health problems get the funding and support they need to succeed. Todd has also worked and led in the education and nonprofit fields in the Houston area for the past 20+ years. Todd’s work has focused on serving our region’s children and families, particularly in the “out-of-school” time areas of early childhood and after school which are a real struggle for families to find affordable, quality care for all of our children. 

A SIXTH GENERATION TEXAN, Todd earned his B.A. degree from Duke University, his J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law, and his MBA from Rice University. Todd has served on numerous nonprofit boards and committees. In addition to working with and leading nonprofits, Todd has practiced law and worked in investments for a number of years.

Todd’s leadership in the education and nonprofit fields has been recognized by national leadership and fellowship programs with the Children’s Defense Fund and the Aspen Institute, across the state with the Texas Lyceum, and locally with the American Leadership Forum and Center for Houston’s Future.

Todd’s first campaign rally was in downtown Houston’s Tranquility Park for the 1988 Dukakis-Bentsen campaign. In addition to block walking and volunteering for numerous Democratic candidates, Todd served as a Precinct 40 state delegate for John Kerry for President in 2004, and he was the Precinct 148 Chair and senate delegate for the Barack Obama for President campaign in 2008. Todd also served Mayor Bill White as the Chair of the City of Houston’s Tower Commission for six years.

In 2018, Todd ran for Congress to help flip the House in D.C. and create a check and balance against Donald Trump. Running in TX-02, initially against Ted Poe and then against Dan Crenshaw, Todd raised $1.5 million and engaged hundreds of volunteers and supporters to get TX-02 on the “Red to Blue” list and come as close as anyone has to flipping that seat (earning even more votes than Hillary Clinton did in the 2016 Presidential race). Todd was proud to be endorsed by a number of leading organizations in that race, including the Gulf Coast AFL-CIO, the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus, the Houston Chronicle, the Human Rights Campaign, Giffords, Houston Black American Democrats, Harris County Tejano Democrats, League of Conservation Voters, and the National Organization for Women (NOW).

Democrats won the House in D.C., and Todd turned his sights to Austin to see if the State House might be winnable. He led an effort called Lead Texas Forward and traveled across the state recruiting candidates to run in 2020 in the nine Republican State House seats Beto O’Rourke won in 2018.

Todd met his wife Jennifer Litton, a breast cancer doctor and Vice President of Clinical Research at U.T. MD Anderson, at Duke University. They live in the Rice/Medical Center area with their three children, though two are now in college, and are members of St. Anne’s Catholic Church.