Todd Gilbert is the Republican Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates. He represents the 33rd District in the Virginia House of Delegates; it includes all of Page and Shenandoah Counties and portions of Warren and Rockingham Counties.
He was first elected to the House in 2005. In 2018, Delegate Gilbert was elected Republican Leader of the House of Delegates, in 2022 was elected Speaker by his colleagues, and re-elected Republican Leader in 2023.
Leader Gilbert has received numerous awards and distinctions during his tenure in the House of Delegates including the Virginia YMCA’s “Service to Youth Award” for his annual work with their Model General Assembly in Richmond. In 2013, he was named the Family Foundation’s “Legislator of the Year” for his work in promoting family values and religious freedom in Virginia. The Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys also awarded Gilbert their inaugural “Champion of Justice Award” for his extensive work in public safety policy.
The Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police, Virginia State Police Association, and the Virginia Sheriff's Association have all honored Gilbert with their “Legislator of the Year” Award. The American Conservative Union also named him a “Defender of Liberty” for his 100% conservative voting record during the legislative session.
Finally, in 2017, Gilbert was named a “Legislator of the Year” by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce for his years of work as a pro-business leader.
Prior to his election to the House of Delegates, Todd was a full-time prosecutor. His first job was with the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Lynchburg, where he was a member of the Violent Crime Prosecution Team.
In 1999, he was fortunate to be able to return home and work in the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney for Shenandoah County for six years where he was lead prosecutor in a number of major cases. After his election to the House, Gilbert worked for several years as a prosecutor in both the Warren County and Frederick County Commonwealth’s Attorneys Offices.
He has taught the art of trial advocacy to fellow prosecutors at the Commonwealth’s Attorneys’ annual trial advocacy school. Taking advantage of his experience in Virginia’s criminal justice system, Gilbert’s primary legislative focus is public safety.
Gilbert is a 1989 graduate of Central High School of Woodstock, where he served as student body president and played three varsity sports. He attended the University of Virginia, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Government in 1993. While at UVA, he was a legislative intern in the Capitol Hill office of then U.S. Representative George Allen.
Upon graduation, he attended the Southern Methodist University School of Law, where he earned his law degree in 1996 and also led the student body as president of the Student Bar Association. While at SMU Law, Gilbert won the school’s annual mock trial competition and participated on the school’s competitive mock trial team.
When not in Richmond for the legislative session, Delegate Gilbert now works in a private law practice.
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Todd is married to the lovely and talented Jennifer Wishon Gilbert, and they have been blessed with two sons. Jennifer is a broadcast journalist for CBN News.
Jennifer covers the President and national politics in Washington, D.C. The Gilberts live on a small farm outside of Mount Jackson, Virginia.
