Todd grew up in the coastal marshes and rice fields of southeast Texas and has enjoyed the opportunity to “get paid to play in the mud and water,” as his dad likes to say. As Ducks Unlimited’s Manager of Conservation Programs, he oversees habitat conservation work in Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico.

Ducks Unlimited (DU) is a nonprofit dedicated to the conservation of wetlands and associated upland habitats for waterfowl, other wildlife, and people. DU’s conservation work in the panhandle of Texas, eastern New Mexico, and western Oklahoma overlaps directly with PLJV priorities and that of partners including Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, New Mexico Game and Fish, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Being a PLJV board member provides a great opportunity to synergize and sync up DU’s conservation efforts with partner organizations, as well as interact and learn about new strategies and ideas from within other parts of the PLJV region.

Todd has a bachelor’s degree in wildlife management, a master’s degree in wildlife science from Texas Tech University, and a Ph.D. in zoology from the University of Western Ontario. During his formal education and employment, Todd has been able to work in the waterfowl wintering grounds of Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico, the breeding grounds of Canada’s prairie pothole region, and the farmlands and boreal forest areas of Central Ontario.

In his spare time, Todd enjoys hunting waterfowl with his fourth lab, Buck, who complains when he misses birds, but forgets about it when they get home.