Michael Kratsios, President Trump's science and technology advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and...

Michael Kratsios, President Trump's science and technology advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, received the Archon Sophia Award for Excellence on October 17 at a formal luncheon in New York City. The award was presented by the Order of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in America, during their annual Archon Weekend at the New York Hilton Midtown. The Sophia Award goes to individuals who have distinguished themselves in service to the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and its global Orthodox Christian mission. Kratsios was recognized specifically for his role in shaping American strategy in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nuclear energy, and space, as well as for his broader public service as the 13th Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Archons National Commander Dr. Anthony Limberakis said Kratsios brings the Church's values into the highest levels of American scientific leadership. Kratsios, accepting the honor, credited his Greek roots and Orthodox faith as guiding forces, saying the pursuit of knowledge must always be accompanied by wisdom, measure, and respect for the human being. Kratsios has Greek heritage through his mother and grandfather, who immigrated from Greece to the United States. He previously served as the fourth Chief Technology Officer of the United States, as Under Secretary of War at the Pentagon, and negotiated a science and technology agreement between Washington and Athens in 2020 alongside then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In July 2026, he published "Science: A New Golden Age," described as a blueprint for the most sweeping overhaul of the American scientific enterprise in 75 years. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew invested Kratsios as an Archon in October 2021. #GreekAmerican #EcumenicalPatriarchate #Orthodox