Anthony Godfrey, U.S. Ambassador (Retired) - Keynote Speaker
A seasoned foreign policy leader with deep experience in managing diverse teams, Ambassador Godfrey spent the majority of his overseas career in developing or post-conflict areas, managing change and directing teams to focus U.S. resources to achieve development goals. As Chief of Mission in Serbia, Ambassador Godfrey worked closely with leaders in government, the non-governmental sector, and with international organizations, building consensus for shared values. His innovative engagement with the Serbian people across media platforms helped dispel misconceptions about U.S. goals for the region, encouraging greater readiness to engage. This had tangible results, both for Serbia’s development and for U.S. firms; Serbia adopted dramatic reforms to make its judiciary more independent and a U.S. firm won an infrastructure development project valued at more than $400 million.
His service as Deputy Ambassador of the U.S. Mission in Russia took place during a very
challenging period, when the Russian Government targeted Embassy staff as a response to sanctions. Godfrey’s work sustained staff morale, focused diminishing resources on core policy priorities, and communicated clearly – both for Russian audiences and for Washington – the consequences of Russia’s outrageous policies. While serving as Director of Iraq affairs for the Department of State, Godfrey served as the chair of the inter-agency task force to build the international coalition to combat the threat of ISIS, and frequently represented the United States in international conferences in Europe and the Middle East. While serving as Director for Turkey and Eurasian Energy on the National Security Staff of the White House during the Obama Administration, Godfrey’s work focused on cooperative European Missile Defense and building consensus for shared counter-terrorism goals. Before beginning his career with the State Department, Godfrey served 12 years in the U.S. Navy.
Ambassador Godfrey speaks Russian, Serbo-Croatian, and Turkish. A native of New York,
Godfrey is a long-time Virginia resident, recently settling in Richmond. Ambassador Godfrey
now teaches at both the University of Richmond and Virginia Commonwealth University. His
personal interests include open-water swimming, choral singing, cooking, and travel.
