John Godfrey, a career member of the Senior Foreign Service, is Principal Deputy Coordinator for Counterterrorism.
Mr. Godfrey came to CT from Embassy Riyadh, where he served for more than half of his 2015-2018 tour as Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, and before that as Political Counselor. From 2013-2014 he was Chief of Staff to then Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns, during a period that encompassed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and attempted annexation of Crimea, the Egyptian Armed Forces’ removal from office of President Morsy, and the emergence of ISIS. His other previous assignments include Arms Control Counselor at the U.S. Permanent Mission to International Organizations in Vienna (2010-2013); Deputy Political Counselor for Northern Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad (2009-2010); and Political and Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli (2007-2009), where he was part of the small team that finalized the U.S.-Libya Claims Settlement Agreement, securing compensation for families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing and other acts of terrorism. He has also served as Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, as Political and Economic Chief at the U.S. Embassy in Ashgabat, and as Political Officer in Damascus, where his tour coincided with the death of former President Hafiz al-Asad and the succession of Bashar al-Asad.
Mr. Godfrey holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of California at Los Angeles and an M.A. in Middle East and North Africa Studies from the University of Michigan.