As a career United States Foreign Service officer, Chapman joined the State Department in 1990 and became a Minister Counselor in the Senior Foreign Service. He has held many positions within the State Department, including as U.S. ambassador to Ecuador from 2016 to 2019 and U.S. ambassador to Brazil from 2020 to 2021. He arrived in Brazil on March 29, 2020, and presented his credentials to the President of Brazil the following day.[3][4] He retired from the foreign service in July 2021.
Early life and education
Chapman was born in Houston, Texas.[4] When he was a child, he moved with his family to São Paulo, Brazil. Chapman lived in Brazil through secondary school, graduating from Escola Maria Imaculada.[5]
In 2001, Chapman was assigned as an Economic Officer in San Jose, Costa Rica. In 2004, he was appointed Political/Economic/Commercial Counselor at the embassy in La Paz, Bolivia.[5]
On October 30, 2019, President Donald Trump nominated Chapman to become United States Ambassador to Brazil.[11] On February 11, 2020, the United States Senate confirmed his nomination by voice vote.[12] Some observers criticized Chapman for appearing to take a friendly stance toward Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro.[13] In June 2021, citing personal reasons, Chapman announced his intention to retire and to spend the next thirty days continuing to strengthen relations between the United States and Brazil.[14][15]
On June 9, 2021, Todd Chapman communicated to US President Joe Biden his request for retirement from the State Department service for personal reasons, ending a career spanning three decades.[14] He officially left his post and retired on July 23, 2021.[16][17][18]
