H.E. Dr. David Brat

David Brat is the 28th Ambassador of the United States to Australia. He was confirmed by the Senate on August 7, 2026, and presented his credentials to the Governor General of Australia on September 29, 2026. Dr. Brat most recently served as Senior Vice President of Business Relations at Liberty University.

Dr. Brat was elected to two terms as the U.S. Representative for Virginia’s 7th Congressional District, serving from 2014 to 2019.  During his tenure, he sat on the Budget, Education, and Small Business Committees and chaired the Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Tax, and Capital Access.  Prior to his time in Congress, Dr. Brat worked with the Senate of the Virginia General Assembly on education policy.   He served on the Economic Advisory Board for three Virginia governors and as President of the Virginia Association of Economists.

Dr. Brat built more than 20 years of experience as an economic consultant with Arthur Andersen & Co. and as a consultant with the World Bank.  He also served as Professor and Chair of Economics at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia.

Dr. Brat holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Hope College in Holland, Michigan, a master’s degree in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, New Jersey, and a doctorate in economics from American University in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Brat and his wife, Laura, have two children, Jonathan and Sophia.