Todd is the president and chief executive officer of CompTIA, the leading non-profit trade association for the global technology industry. Since joining the organisation in 2008, Todd has led the expansion of CompTIA’s commitment to advancing industry growth through education and training programmes, market intelligence and research, networking events, professional certifications, and public advocacy.

 

Todd is a frequent commentator and source quoted in news coverage of the technology industry, including the Associated Press, Bloomberg News, Entrepreneur, Forbes, and USA Today. He also contributed written columns to a variety of business and industry publications, including CIO and InformationWeek Dark Reading.

 

One of the issues Todd has been most vocal and engaged on is the need for new policies, programmes, strategies, and tactics to assure that there are sufficient numbers of workers to fill the employment needs of the global tech industry. Under his leadership, CompTIA has launched a series of initiatives to deepen the pool of qualified job candidates.

 

Todd has advocated on behalf of groups who historically have been underrepresented in the tech industry workforce; and for individuals from non-traditional backgrounds, such as those without a four-year degree, but who have prepared for the workplace through intensive skill-specific training validated by recognised industry certifications.

 

Todd has called for more apprenticeship-type programmes for tech workers to maximise a skills-based approach to learning, coupled with work experience. He’s also expanded the conversation to the next generations of workers, talking to students and prospective workers in plain and simple terms about tech careers.

 

Before joining CompTIA in July 2008, Todd spent more than 17 years with the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), where he served in a wide range of roles culminating as senior vice president of industry relations.

 

Todd is a life-long IT and tech enthusiast dating back to his very early years. The son of an electrical and mechanical engineer, his love of technology continues to this day and he has infused CompTIA with a renewed sense of enthusiasm for the industry the organisation represents.

 

He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (bachelor of science, economics, 1988) and George Mason University (master’s degree in economics, 1997).