Kathy Payne joined Amazon in March 2017 to lead the content acquisition team for Amazon Channels. Over the course of her career, Kathy has been at the forefront of transforming the consumer television experience negotiating video content rights from major media companies.

Before she joined Amazon, Kathy was the Chief Programming Officer at Suddenlink Communications, and prior to that, she was the VP of Content Acquisition and an Assistant General Counsel at Cox Communications. In these roles, she was responsible for video content strategy across traditional and emerging mobile video platforms.

Kathy obtained her B.A. in Public Policy Studies from Duke University, magna cum laude, and her J.D., also from Duke, with honors. Kathy served on the Board of Women in Cable and Telecommunications (the cable television industry’s flagship women’s leadership organization), including chairing the Board. She is the recipient of several industry and corporate awards for leadership, commitment to customers and cost mitigation efforts. In her spare time, Kathy enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters and loves adventure travel.