Titus was born in Thomasville, Georgia, and grew up in Tifton, Georgia. After receiving her bachelor's degree from the College of William and Mary, Titus went on to earn a master's degree from the University of Georgia and a doctorate from Florida State University. She then taught American and Nevada government classes at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for 34 years until her retirement in 2011. She was also a state senator representing SD-7 for 20 years until her election to the U.S. House of Representatives from Nevada's 3rd Congressional District in 2008, a seat she lost two years later in a close race against Rep. Joe Heck.
