U.S. Ambassador to Ecuador: Who Is Todd Chapman?

Saturday, November 28, 2015
Todd Chapman

Todd C. Chapman, a career Foreign Service officer, was nominated on Oct. 5, 2015, to be the next U.S. ambassador to Ecuador. If he’s confirmed, it will be the first such position for him.

 

Chapman was born in Houston. When he was 11, in 1974, his family moved to São Paulo, Brazil, where his father, Bob, worked as an electrical engineer. Chapman remained in Brazil through secondary school, attending Chapel-Escola Maria Imaculada.

 

He returned to the United States to attend college at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Chapman earned a BA there in 1983 and began working as a commercial banker in New York and in Saudi Arabia before joining the Foreign Service in 1990.

 

His first overseas assignment was in Taiwan, beginning in 1991 as a consular officer. After two years there, he was sent to Maputo, Mozambique, as an economic/commercial officer until being brought back to Washington in 1995. He returned to Africa in 1997 to serve as energy officer in Abuja, Nigeria.

 

Chapman attended the Joint Military Intelligence College beginning in 1999 and earned an MS in strategic intelligence in 2000. His next assignment, beginning in 2001, was as an economic officer in San Juan, Costa Rica. In 2004, Chapman was made political/economic/commercial counselor at the embassy in La Paz, Bolivia.

 

He came home in 2006 to serve as executive assistant in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs. He was sent back to Mozambique the following year, this time as Deputy Chief of Mission. He did a tour in Kabul, Afghanistan, as senior diplomatic coordinator for economic affairs, from 2010 to 2011, where he helped administer $4 billion in economic assistance.

 

In 2011, Chapman returned to Brazil as Deputy Chief of Mission at the embassy in Brasilia. He served there until 2014, when he returned to Washington in his current role as principal deputy assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs.

 

Chapman speaks Portuguese and Spanish. He and his wife, Janetta, have two sons, Josh and Jason.

-Steve Straehley

Comments

LCDR Carrera, Luis 5 years ago
Mr Chapman: Recently my father and brother requested a visa to travel to the USA in plan of visiting me and my family and my brother's was denied I have sent a letter of invitation in which I stated the purpose of visit, my 27n years of service in the US NAVY and despite this the interviewer did not take a minute to read my letter? is there anything else I can do to help expedite my brother's visa?? they're only visiting for 10 days, Please feel free to reach me at my e mail above or 516-835-9268. V/R LCDR Carrera, Luis
elisabeth renner 5 years ago
And he lead the way to threaten Ecuador to not support breastfeeding and his actions will lead to many unnecessary infant deaths. "The Americans were blunt: If Ecuador refused to drop the resolution, Washington would unleash punishing trade measures and withdraw crucial military aid. "
GAY ARCHER 5 years ago
HOW DARE YOU THREATEN ANY COUNTRY WITH FUND WITHDRAWAL, ETC, OVER THE BREAST FEEDING ISSUE.YOU ARE AWARE THAT BREAST MILK IS FAR SUPERIOR TO FORMULA.You are an evil man. Shame on you. I weep for my country because of your ilk. I pray for karma.

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