Godfrey earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of California, Los Angeles and a Master of Arts in Middle East and North Africa studies from the University of Michigan.

In 2009 and 2010, he served as deputy political counselor for northern affairs at the Embassy of the United States, Baghdad.

After serving as an arms control counselor at the United Nations Office at Vienna, he was chief of staff for Deputy Secretary of State William J. Burns.

[3] On January 26, 2022, President Joe Biden nominated Godfrey to be the ambassador to Sudan.

[4] He was sworn into office on August 23, 2022,[5] and he presented his credentials to Sudanese head of state Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on September 1, 2022.