Ms. Sue C. Payton is the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C. She is the Air Force's service acquisition executive, responsible for all Air Force research, development and non-space acquisition activities. She provides direction, guidance and supervision of all matters pertaining to the formulation, review, approval and execution of acquisition plans, policies and programs. Ms Payton directs $30 billion annual investments that include major programs like the KC-45A, F-22A, F-35, C-17 and munitions, as well as capability areas such as information technology and command and control, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems. She formulates and executes the $210 billion Air Force investment strategy to acquire systems and support services to provide combat capability to joint warfighting commanders.
Ms. Payton has previously worked with the military services, defense agencies, industry, coalition partners and combatant commands and has had oversight responsibilities for technology transition programs. These programs include Advanced Concept Technology Demonstrations, Joint Warfighting Program, Foreign Comparative Test, Defense Acquisition Challenge, Technology Transition Initiative, ManTech, Defense Production Act Title III and TechLink. While working for ImageLinks, Inc. and the National Center for Applied Technology, she was responsible for the assessment, prototype development and insertion of commercial technology for Department of Defense agencies and worldwide field users. During her tenure with Lockheed Martin and Martin Marietta, Ms. Payton was responsible for leveraging the latest information systems technology needs of DOD and intelligence community, and she resolved complex acquisition and technical issues. Ms. Payton has extensive experience leading government and industry partnerships focused on maturing and applying technology, operations concepts, tactics, techniques and procedures to solve national security problems worldwide
EDUCATION
1972 Bachelor of Science degree in education, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston
1985 Master of Science degree in systems acquisition management and systems technology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles
1998 Executive Program, Goizueta Business School, Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
2007 MS in Computer Info. Systems, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, FL
2007 Honorary PhD in Public Service, Eastern Illinois University, Charleston, IL
CAREER CHRONOLOGY
1. 1989 - 1994, Senior Site Systems Integration Manager, Martin Marietta, Reston, Va.
2. 1994 - 1998, Manager, Advanced Technology, Office of the Vice President, Business Development, Lockheed Martin Corp, Reston, Va.
3. 1999 - 2000, Director, National Center for Applied Technology, Springfield, Va.
4. 2000 - 2001, Vice President, Applied Technology, ImageLinks, Inc., Springfield, Va.
5. 2001 - 2006, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts, Washington, D.C.
6. 2006 - present, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, D.C.
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS AND ASSOCIATIONS
Defense Science and Technology Advisory Group
Associate Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
United States Air Force Academy Sabre Society
Air Force Association
Eastern Illinois University Alumni Association
Gateway Member, Purdue University President's Council
Former Board Member, Women in Aerospace
Open Geospatial Consortium
National Correlation Working Group
(Current as of February 2008)