Todd Womack is the president and CEO of Bridge Public Affairs and former chief of staff and staff director for U.S. Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He is Corker’s longest serving aide and remains a principal advisor. Womack’s focus as Bridge president and CEO is helping clients navigate the nexus of policy, politics and strategy in successfully achieving their state, national and international business objectives.
Managing a Senate staff of 67 – encompassing Corker’s Tennessee and Washington staff, and the majority and non-designated staff for the Foreign Relations Committee – Womack was responsible for a $6 million annual budget and oversaw all aspects of the senator’s legislative strategy, communications and constituent services.
He was closely involved in helping Corker develop a wide range of domestic and foreign policy legislation related to Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security reform; tax reform; financial regulatory reform; housing finance reform; sanctions on Iran, Russia and North Korea; Ukraine stabilization following Russia’s invasion; food aid reform; and efforts to modernize and reform how the U.S. makes global and nation-specific strategic and developmental investments. Womack gained first-hand insight about world hotspots and other facets of U.S foreign policy, having accompanied Corker, other U.S. senators and diplomatic officials on investigative trips throughout the world.
Additionally, he helped develop and lead Corker’s effort to establish the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery – a public-private global effort led by the United States to help free the more than 27 million currently enslaved around the world. In Tennessee, Womack was involved in multiple economic development initiatives benefiting communities across the state and integrally involved in the successful recruitment of Volkswagen’s North American Manufacturing operation to Chattanooga.
On Capitol Hill, Womack served as the Republican chair of the bipartisan chief of staff organization, focused on creating dialogue and interaction between the 100 Senate chiefs of staff. He previously led the bipartisan chiefs of staff study group in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations and also led the Faith and Politics Institute’s bipartisan chiefs of staff study group.
From 2001-2005, Womack served under then-Mayor Bob Corker as communications director for the City of Chattanooga. Womack assisted Corker in attracting $2.1 billion of new investment to Chattanooga, transforming the city’s waterfront and improving local school and law enforcement effectiveness. Many of the efforts then launched continue to distinguish Chattanooga today.
Following Corker’s service as mayor, Womack became political director for Corker’s 2006 U.S. Senate campaign, concurrently serving as communications director and chief spokesman for the 2006 general election. Corker’s victory distinguished him as the only Republican elected to the U.S. Senate that year. Following Corker’s election, Womack was tapped to run the senator-elect’s transition. In 2012, Womack managed the team that led to Corker’s 2012 reelection with nearly 65 percent of the vote.
Womack began his career as a public relations specialist at Erlanger Medical Center, a non-profit, academic teaching center affiliated with the University of Tennessee College of Medicine – among the nation’s largest public hospitals. Following his time at Erlanger, Todd became the director of public relations and employee communications at Unum Corporation, a leading U.S. disability insurance provider.
A native of Chattanooga, Todd graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. He and his wife Katie have four children, Laura Kate, Rebekah, John and Andrew.
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