Krattenmaker leaves for Connecticut

Associate Vice President of PubCom accepts position at Yale Divinity School 

By John Rogers///News Editor

Tom Krattenmaker, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs and Communications, is leaving Lewis & Clark this October for a position as Director of Communications at Yale Divinity School.

Krattenmaker, an avid outdoorsman and a Portlander at heart, said he will deeply miss the place he has called home for the past eight years.

Not only has Portland offered good friends and endless outdoor activities, it’s also given Krattenmaker plenty of material for his other job: writing about religion in public life. A columnist for the op-ed section of USA Today and author of multiple books, Krattenmaker focuses on the interaction between religion, culture and politics. Unbeknownst to most, famously liberal Portland is also a major hub for evangelicals, a subject Krattenmaker has written extensively about.

Some of the challenges he faced at PubCom, Krattenmaker said, were the evolution of media and the internet over the past eight years. When he started, much of PubCom’s materials were in print.

Although PubCom still produces print products like The Chronicle Magazine, the office now dedicates much of its resources and energy to the College’s online presence—social media, The Source and LC’s website.  With both a strong print and online presence essential to 21st-century public relations, PubCom’s workload has only increased.

Krattenmaker reminisced over some of the accomplishments he and his team have made over the years. He points to the posters on his office walls, enlarged covers of the publications that he and his team have created. The Chronicle Magazine, at 45,000 copies, is published triannually to feature students and alumni, and is one of PubCom’s largest printed pieces. About 43,000 of those are mailed out to LC constituents around the country (and world) and the remaining 2,000 are distributed around all three campuses.

Krattenmaker applauded the people he has worked with over the years.  Over his eight years, Krattenmaker has watched LC’s students and other young professionals rise in the ranks at PubCom to positions of prominence.

“I am very proud of the PubCom team and all we have accomplished together—as well as the professionalism and camaraderie we’ve brought to our work with each other and our colleagues across the three campuses,” Krattenmaker said.

Although his new position in New Haven, CT should keep him busy, Krattenmaker plans to keep an eye on LC.

“There’s a lot of great learning, teaching and research that happen here everyday, with conscientious work being done by the administration and staff to support it.,” Krattenmaker said.

As of now, Lewis & Clark has not chosen a replacement for the position of Associate Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications.

Krattenmaker appears to be very excited about the next step in his career. Becoming the Director of Communications at the Yale Divinity School connects two areas of his life that, up until now, have been largely separated.

“As much as I hate leaving, I’m happy to know that the College’s communications will be in very good hands.”

Edit: Tom Krattenmaker’s position at Lewis & Clark is Associate Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications, not Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications.