Roman Popadiuk was born in Austria in 1950. He received a BA in political science from Hunter College in 1973 and a PhD in political science from The City University of New York (CUNY) Graduate Center in 1981. After earning his PhD, Dr. Popadiuk worked as an adjunct lecturer in political science at Brooklyn College in New York City. He is married to Judith Ann (Fedkiw) Popadiuk, and together they have four children: Gregory, Matthew, Catherine, and Mary.

Ambassador Popadiuk joined the United States Foreign Service in 1981. He served as a diplomat in Mexico City, Mexico, from 1982 to 1984 and in Washington, DC, in the US Department of State and National Security Council from 1984 to 1986.

From 1986 to 1989, Ambassador Popadiuk served as assistant press secretary, then special assistant to the President and deputy press secretary for foreign affairs and deputy assistant under President Ronald Reagan. He continued in this role from 1989 to 1992 under President George H. W. Bush. Popadiuk served as the first US ambassador to Ukraine under President George H. W. Bush from 1992 to 1993.

After serving as ambassador to Ukraine, Ambassador Popadiuk taught at the Foreign Service Institute—the US federal government’s primary training institution for the US foreign affairs community—until 1995. From 1995 to 1998, he served as the international affairs adviser on the staff of the Office of the Commandant at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (now The Eisenhower School) in Fort McNair in Washington, DC.

Ambassador Popadiuk received several awards from his foreign service, including the US Department of State Meritorious and Superior Honor Awards. Additionally, he received the Annual Achievement Award from the Ukrainian Institute of America and the Shevchenko Freedom Award presented by the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

Ambassador Popadiuk is currently the Ralph Bunche Institute’s Diplomat in Residence.