UNITED STATES SENATE
SUBJECT: Ambassadorial Nomination: Certificate of Demonstrated Competence — Foreign Service Act, Section 304(a)(4)
POST: Kingdom of Thailand
CANDIDATE: Robert F. Godec
Robert F. Godec, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with the rank of Career Minister, is the Senior Coordinator for Afghanistan in the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration at the U.S. Department of State. Prior to that, he was Acting Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of African Affairs. He previously 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. He was U.S. Ambassador to Kenya from 2013 to 2019. Godec was also Chargé d’Affaires a.i. at U.S. Embassy Nairobi in 2012. Before that, Godec was Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism in the Bureau of Counterterrorism. Previously, he served as U.S. Ambassador to Tunisia. 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 at U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa. Other positions include Economic Counselor at U.S. Embassy Nairobi, 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. Godec’s broad regional experience, coupled with his extensive management experience and demonstrated ability to lead large interagency teams and organizations as well as policy-oriented bureaus and offices, makes him a well-qualified candidate to be the U.S. Ambassador to Thailand. Godec has a Master’s degree from Yale University, as well as a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia. He is the recipient of two Presidential Meritorious Service Awards, numerous Senior Performance Awards, and a Distinguished Honor Award. He speaks French and German.