Robert F. Godec

Robert Frank Godec
Robert Frank Godec
United States Ambassador to Thailand
	Nominee
	Assuming office; TBD
President	Joe Biden
Succeeding	Michael Heath (acting)
Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
	Acting
	In office; January 20, 2021 – September 30, 2021
President	Joe Biden
Preceded by	Tibor P. Nagy Jr.
Succeeded by	Mary Catherine Phee
United States Ambassador to Kenya
	In office; February 15, 2013 – February 1, 2019
President	Barack Obama; Donald Trump
Preceded by	Scott Gration
Succeeded by	Kyle McCarter
United States Ambassador to Tunisia
	In office; January 17, 2007 – July 29, 2009
President	George W. Bush; Barack Obama
Preceded by	William J. Hudson
Succeeded by	Gordon Gray III
Personal details
Born	1956 (age 65–66); Rantoul, Illinois, U.S.
Nationality	American
Spouse(s)	Lori G. Magnusson
Education	University of Virginia (BA); Yale University (MA)

Robert Frank Godec (born 1956)[1] is an American diplomat who served as the United States ambassador to Kenya from 2013 to 2019 and the United States ambassador to Tunisia from 2006 to 2009.[2][3][4] He served as acting assistant secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs from January to September 2021.[5] As of April 2022, he is the nominee to be the United States Ambassador to Thailand.

Early life and education

Godec was born in Rantoul, Illinois, in 1956. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in foreign service from the University of Virginia in 1979 and a Master of Arts in international relations from Yale University.[6][7][8]

Career

In December 2010 a number of classified diplomatic cables written by Godec from Tunisia in 2008 and 2009[9] were released by WikiLeaks and published by Al Akhbar in Beirut.[10] Many of them were highly critical of the public and personal life of the Tunisian president, Zine el Abidine Ben Ali, 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.[10] 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.[11]

Ambassador to Thailand

On April 1, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Godec to be the ambassador to Thailand.[12]

Personal life

Since 1986, Godec has been married to Lori G. Magnusson.[6][13] He speaks French and German.

References

Robert Frank Godec (1956–)
Matt Bewig ([n.d.]) U.S. ambassador to Kenya: Who is Robert Godec?. AllGov.com. Accessed March 13, 2015.
Ambassador Robert F. Godec. Embassy of the United States, Nairobi, Kenya. Accessed March 13, 2015.
Robert F. Godec: U.S. Ambassador to Kenya. Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, for the U.S. Department of State. Accessed March 13, 2015.
Ambassador Robert F. Godec: Acting Assistant Secretary - Bureau of African Affairs. Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, for the U.S. Department of State. Accessed January 25, 2021.
"Godec, Robert". www.allgov.com. Retrieved February 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
"Robert F. Godec". United States Department of State. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
"| Undergraduate, U.Va". college.as.virginia.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
[Robert Godec] (December 7, 2010). US embassy cables: Tunisia - a US foreign policy conundrum. The Guardian. Accessed March 2015.
Ian Black (December 7, 2010). WikiLeaks cables: Tunisia blocks site reporting 'hatred' of first lady. The Guardian. Accessed March 2015.
[s.n.] (January 15, 2011). Wikileaks might have triggered Tunis’ revolution. Dubai: Al Arabiya News. Accessed March 2015.
"President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
"Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7 - EXECUTIVE REPORTS OF COMMITTEES". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

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[1] Robert Frank Godec (1956–)

[bewig-2] Matt Bewig ([n.d.]) U.S. ambassador to Kenya: Who is Robert Godec?. AllGov.com. Accessed March 13, 2015.

[emb-3] Ambassador Robert F. Godec. Embassy of the United States, Nairobi, Kenya. Accessed March 13, 2015.

[state-4] Robert F. Godec: U.S. Ambassador to Kenya. Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, for the U.S. Department of State. Accessed March 13, 2015.

[stategov-5] Ambassador Robert F. Godec: Acting Assistant Secretary - Bureau of African Affairs. Office of Website Management, Bureau of Public Affairs, for the U.S. Department of State. Accessed January 25, 2021.

[:0-6] "Godec, Robert". www.allgov.com. Retrieved February 6, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

[7] "Robert F. Godec". United States Department of State. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

[8] "| Undergraduate, U.Va". college.as.virginia.edu. Retrieved February 6, 2021.

[guard2-9] [Robert Godec] (December 7, 2010). US embassy cables: Tunisia - a US foreign policy conundrum. The Guardian. Accessed March 2015.

[guard-10] Ian Black (December 7, 2010). WikiLeaks cables: Tunisia blocks site reporting 'hatred' of first lady. The Guardian. Accessed March 2015.

[arabiya-11] [s.n.] (January 15, 2011). Wikileaks might have triggered Tunis’ revolution. Dubai: Al Arabiya News. Accessed March 2015.

[12] "President Biden Announces Key Nominees". The White House. April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.

[13] "Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 7 - EXECUTIVE REPORTS OF COMMITTEES". www.govinfo.gov. Retrieved February 6, 2021.