Ambassador Sam Brownback
Sam Brownback served as Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom from February 2018 to January 2021. He served as Governor of Kansas from 2011 to 2018. Prior to that he represented his home state in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives.
While a member of the Senate, he worked actively on the issue of religious freedom in multiple countries and was a key sponsor of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. Ambassador Brownback was also very involved in Africa issues while in Congress, co-sponsoring the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006 and the Child Soldiers Prevention Act of 2008. He was also an early sponsor of the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
He is currently writing a book examining China’s war on faith.
Ambassador Brownback currently serves as co-chair of the International Religious Freedom Summit and chairman of both the National Committee for Religious Freedom and the National Council for Religious Freedom. He and his wife Mary have five children and 11 grandchildren.