Todd received a B.A. in Social Ecology from UC Irvine and a Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Social Science from the Maxwell School, Syracuse University. He was a tenured professor at Tohoku University, has taught at UCLA, Tufts, and Bentley Universities, and has coached professional and collegiate basketball both in Japan and the U.S.

As a writer he has published numerous academic texts and professional articles, written a regular column and then a blog for PopMatters, and published a travel memoir, and numerous works of fiction.

Genealogically, he received a certificate from Boston University, completed the ProGen Study Group, and attended Jill Morelli’s Certification Discussion Group. Along with JewishGen’s Nancy Holden, he founded HoldenWorks, which conducts ancestral investigations, assists in project design for those interested in completing their own research, and offers editorial help and seminars to improve genealogical writing.