[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 121 (Monday, July 12, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Page S4824]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO TODD CROUCH

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, I rise today to honor the service of Todd 
Crouch, my director of state operations, who retired from my office and 
the U.S. Senate on June 30, 2021.
  Todd has spent nearly 22 years as a valued member of my staff. A 
graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Todd first joined my 
State assembly staff in 1997 as an intern. By a stroke of luck on both 
of our parts, Todd was assigned to my office to complete his 
coursework. He would later tell me that he didn't know much about me 
and my work in the assembly but had heard that I was smart, hard-
working, and a good listener. I quickly learned that I could say the 
same about Todd.
  After my election to the U.S. House of Representatives in late 1998, 
Todd joined my office as a field representative. Todd worked directly 
to serve constituents in our Madison area district, visiting 
organizations and businesses and serving as my representative at 
countless community events. He set up listening sessions through the 
district and staffed me at those events. Some listening sessions 
presented special and occasionally dramatic challenges. Todd nimbly 
navigated us through the occasional unexpected attendee with creativity 
and good humor.
  In 2001, Todd transitioned to a role as our district office manager 
and district scheduler. This dual role highlighted some of Todd's 
greatest skills. An organized and methodical scheduler, he handled 
sticky situations with great care, including delayed flights, last 
minute cancellations, and many competing demands on limited time. He 
ran our district offices with a close attention to detail, ensuring 
their smooth operation and providing our State staff with a steady hand 
to turn to when trouble arose.
  Todd remained in this dual role until my election to the U.S. Senate 
in 2012. I was fortunate to have Todd continue on my U.S. Senate staff. 
Initially serving as my Madison office director, which had expanded far 
beyond the size of our district office, Todd's role eventually grew to 
encompass all of our State operations. He managed our offices in 
Madison, Milwaukee, La Crosse, Eau Claire, and Green Bay, as well as 
our mobile office, affectionately known to us as The Beast. Todd later 
added several additional support roles, including two short stints as a 
pinch-hitter State scheduler, as well as coordinating our Grants and 
Special Projects portfolio.
  Outside of the office, Todd is a devoted husband and father. He and 
his husband James Bond are the proud parents of their energetic young 
sons, Derrion and SJ. Todd and James are also longtime committed foster 
parents who have an open door to a welcoming and loving home.
  I am fortunate to have had Todd as a valued member of my staff for 
these past many years, and I know that my staff, both past and present, 
feel the same. He has a sneaky and delightful sense of humor, which 
often helps relieve a tense or difficult situation. He is diligent in 
his approach to his work and to public service and leads by example. 
Along with my entire U.S. Senate staff, I wish him all the best as he 
begins a new chapter with his well-deserved retirement.

                          ____________________