Tom Krattenmaker

Public Affairs and Communications

Associate Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications

tKratt150 Tom Krattenmaker became Lewis & Clark's associate vice president for public affairs and communications in July 2006. In addition to his work in administration, he is an award-winning writer specializing in religion in public life.

Before coming to Lewis & Clark, Krattenmaker was director of news and information and public relations at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2006 and senior writer in the communications office at Princeton University. Prior to entering the higher education sector, he was a reporter for the Associated Press and Orange County (Calif.) Register.

Krattenmaker writes regularly for USA Today’s “On Religion” commentary page as a member of the newspaper’s editorial Board of Contributors. The American Academy of Religion honored his article “The Evangelicals You Don’t Know” as one of the top three pieces of religion commentary in its 2009 Journalism Awards program, praising Krattenmaker’s work for challenging popular misconceptions about evangelicals “and showing that something new, something more complex and subtle is going on — a great goal for religion commentary.” His work has also appeared in recent years in Salon, the Los Angeles Times, the Oregonian, and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Krattenmaker's first book, "Onward Christian Athletes," about Christianity in professional sports, was published in October 2009. (Visit Tom's writing website, TomKrattenmaker.com.)

Krattenmaker's numerous media appearances include the documentary "Lord Save Us From Your Followers," ESPN's "Outside the Lines," the Christian Broadcasting Network, The Nation, Christianity Today,, and radio networks/stations including Fox, the Canadian Broadcasting System, and numerous regional and local outlets.

Krattenmaker gave the 2009 Mendenhall Lecture at DePauw University. In addition, he has spoken at college campuses including Lewis & Clark, the University of Portland, Missouri State University, and Springfield, Swarthmore, and Haverford Colleges.

Krattenmaker has a master of liberal arts degree with a concentration in religion in public life from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in journalism from the University of Minnesota.

Recent articles

Note: These writings express the author's personal views and do not represent any official position or policy of Lewis & Clark College.

"Confessions of a Conflicted Football Fan," November 7, 2009

"A (Cautionary) Lion's Tale," October 26, 2009

" 'And I'd Like to Thank God ... ' " USA Today, October 12, 2009

"Maybe We Can All Just Get Along," USA Today, August 24, 2009

"Seeing Beyond the Hijab," Oregonian, August 23, 2009

"Evangelism 2.0," USA Today, July 20, 2009

"God Talk & Graduations," USA Today, May 18, 2009

"Fightin' Words," USA Today, April 13, 2009

"Evangelicals walk a fine line in public schools," The Oregonian, March 7, 2009

"A case for 'civil religion,' " USA Today, February 23, 2009

" 'Life' Movement Evolves," USA Today, January 12, 2009

"The End as a Weapon," USA Today, December 15, 2008

"Positive Atheism," USA Today, November 17, 2008

"Evangelicals and Torture: Faith Takes a Back Seat," The Oregonian, October 18, 2008

"Jail and Jesus," USA Today, September 8, 2008

"Religion Can Help End Wars Too," USA Today, July 14, 2008

"The Evangelicals You Don't Know," USA Today, June 2, 2008