Robert Frank Godec (born 1956) is an American diplomat who has served as the

United States ambassador to Thailand This is a list of ambassadors of the United States to Thailand. Thailand has had continuous bilateral relations with the United States since 1882. Relations were interrupted during World War II when Bangkok was occupied by Japanese forces. Normal ...

since October 2022. He formerly served as the

United States ambassador to Kenya After Kenya's independence on December 12, 1963, the United States immediately recognized the new nation and moved to establish diplomatic relations. The embassy in Nairobi was established December 12, 1963—Kenya’s independence day—with La ...

from 2013 to 2019 and the

United States ambassador to Tunisia The following is a list of United States ambassadors to Tunisia. History: US Consul in Tunis * 1795–1796: Joseph Donaldson Jr. (Consul in Algiers) * 1795–1797: Samuel D. Heap (acting consul) * 1796–1797: Joseph Étienne Famin (French, ...

from 2006 to 2009. He also served as acting assistant secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs from January to September 2021.

Early life and education

Godec was born in

Rantoul, Illinois Rantoul is a village in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 12,371 at the 2020 census. History The community was named after Robert Rantoul, Jr., a U.S. representative from Massachusetts, and a director of the Illino ...

, in 1956. He earned a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in foreign affairs from the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

in 1979 and a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

in international relations from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Career

Godec is a career member of the

Senior Foreign Service The Senior Foreign Service (SFS) comprises the top four ranks of the United States Foreign Service. These ranks were created by the Foreign Service Act of 1980 and Executive Order 12293 in order to provide the Foreign Service with senior grades equ ...

with the rank of career minister; He has served in the service since 1985. He serves as senior coordinator for Afghanistan in the

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration The Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) is a bureau within the United States Department of State. It has primary responsibility for formulating policies on population, refugees, and migration, and for administering U.S. refugee ...

at the

U.S. Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

. Previously, he was acting assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of African Affairs. He also served as principal deputy assistant secretary and as deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of African Affairs. Earlier, Godec was deputy commandant and international affairs advisor at the

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

. Godec also served as principal deputy coordinator for counterterrorism in the Bureau of Counterterrorism in the Department of State. Godec has also served as deputy assistant secretary of state in the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs and was deputy coordinator for the transition in Iraq. He served as acting deputy chief of mission and minister counselor for Economic Affairs in the U.S. embassy in Pretoria, South Africa. His other positions include economic counselor at U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya; assistant office director for Thailand and Burma in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs; and director for southeast asian affairs at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

United States ambassador to Tunisia

Godec had previously served as

. In December 2010 a number of classified diplomatic cables written by Godec from Tunisia in 2008 and 2009 were released by

WikiLeaks WikiLeaks () is an international Nonprofit organization, non-profit organisation that published news leaks and classified media provided by anonymous Source (journalism), sources. Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activism, Internet acti ...

and published by '' Al Akhbar'' in

Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...

. Many of them were highly critical of the public and personal life of the Tunisian president,

Zine el Abidine Ben Ali Zine El Abidine Ben Ali ( ar, زين العابدين بن علي, translit=Zayn al-'Ābidīn bin 'Alī; 3 September 1936 – 19 September 2019), commonly known as Ben Ali ( ar, بن علي) or Ezzine ( ar, الزين), was a Tunisian politician ...

, and his family. Godec mentioned high-level corruption, a "sclerotic" regime, and deep dislike or even hatred for the president's wife, Leila Trabelsi, and her family. There were later suggestions in the press that his comments could have fuelled the Tunisian Revolution, which began in December 2010 and led to the flight of Ben Ali to Saudi Arabia in January 2011.

United States ambassador to Kenya

Godec was

from 2013 to 2019. He was also Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at U.S. Embassy

Nairobi, Kenya Nairobi ( ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows throug ...

in 2012.

United States ambassador to Thailand

On April 1, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Godec to be the

. Hearings on his nomination were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 13, 2022. the committee favorably reported his nomination to the Senate floor on August 3, 2022. He was confirmed by the Senate via

voice vote In parliamentary procedure, a voice vote (from the Latin ''viva voce'', meaning "live voice") or acclamation is a voting method in deliberative assemblies (such as legislatures) in which a group vote is taken on a topic or motion by responding vo ...

on August 4, 2022. Godec presented his credentials to King

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...

on October 7, 2022.

Awards and recognitions

Godec has won two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, numerous Senior Performance Awards, and a

Distinguished Honor Award The Distinguished Honor Award is an award of the United States Department of State. Similar versions of the same award exist for the former U.S. Information Agency, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and USAID. It is presented to groups or i ...

Personal life

Since 1986, Godec has been married to Lori G. Magnusson. He speaks

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

and

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Godec, Robert Frank 1956 births Living people 21st-century American diplomats Ambassadors of the United States to Kenya Ambassadors of the United States to Thailand Ambassadors of the United States to Tunisia People from Rantoul, Illinois United States Foreign Service personnel University of Virginia alumni Yale University alumni