John Godfrey (diplomat)

John T. Godfrey is an American diplomat and foreign policy advisor who has served as the U.S. ambassador to Sudan since 2022, the first confirmed ambassador to the country since 1995.

For other people with similar names, see John Godfrey (disambiguation).
John Godfrey
United States Ambassador to Sudan
Assumed office
September 1, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byLucy Tamlyn (Chargé d'Affaires)
Coordinator for Counterterrorism
Acting
In office
January 20, 2021 – March 21, 2022
PresidentJoe Biden
Preceded byNathan A. Sales
Succeeded byTimothy Alan Betts (Acting)
Personal details
EducationUniversity of California, Los Angeles (BA)
University of Michigan (MA)

Education

Godfrey earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Arts in Middle East and North Africa studies from the University of Michigan.[1]

Career

Godfrey began his career as an assistant to the assistant secretary of state for near eastern affairs. He later served as political and economic chief in Ashgabat and as a political officer in Damascus. From 2007 to 2009, he served as a political and economic counselor at the U.S. embassy in Tripoli. In 2009 and 2010, he served as deputy political counselor for northern affairs at the Embassy of the United States, Baghdad. After serving as an arms control counselor at the United Nations Office at Vienna, he was chief of staff for Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns. He later served in the U.S. embassy in Riyadh.[2] Since January 2021, Godfrey has served as acting coordinator for counterterrorism.[3]

Ambassador to Sudan
Godfrey sworn in as ambassador to Sudan by Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in 2022

On January 26, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Godfrey to be the ambassador to Sudan. Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on May 24, 2022. The committee favorably reported his nomination on June 9, 2022. On July 14, 2022, his nomination was confirmed by voice vote.[4] He was sworn into office on August 23, 2022,[5] and he presented his credentials to Sudanese head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on September 1, 2022.[6]

Godfrey is the first diplomat to serve in a permanent role there since Timothy M. Carney in 1996.[7]

Personal life

Godfrey speaks Arabic.

References
  1. "John T. Godfrey". United States Department of State. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  2. "President Biden Announces Key Diplomatic Nominees". The White House. January 26, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  3. "Acting Coordinator for Counterterrorism John T. Godfrey on the 2020 Country Report on Terrorism". United States Department of State. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. "PN1754 - Nomination of John T. Godfrey for Department of State, 117th Congress (2021-2022)". www.congress.gov. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. Ateba, Simon (August 23, 2022). "John T. Godfrey sworn in to serve as U.S. Ambassador to Sudan amid civil and political unrest". Today News Africa. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  6. "U.S. ambassador to Sudan presents his credentials after 26 years". Sudan Tribune. September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  7. Gramer, Robbie (July 30, 2021). "Top Counterterrorism Envoy Could Be First U.S. Ambassador to Sudan in Decades". Foreign Policy. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
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