Mr. Payne joined the VA in 2016 as the Associate Director, Human Resources in VA’s Central Office of Community Care (Workforce Management) and was shortly after appointed the Chief Human Resources Officer at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System where he often served as Acting Associate Medical Center Director. He was than reassigned to the South Texas Veterans Healthcare System (San Antonio) in 2018 as the Chief Human Resources Officer and was ultimately appointed as the Interim Associate Medical Center Director at the Tennessee Valley Healthcare System in Nashville, Tenn. Mr. Payne was most recently the Associate Medical Center Director at the Gulf Coast Veterans Healthcare System in Biloxi, Miss.

Mr. Payne holds a Master of Science in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Human Services Management. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt. Mr. Payne has successfully completed the Senior Executive Service (SES) Assessment Program and is a graduate of VHAs Healthcare Leadership Development Program (HCLDP). He is also a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a life member of the both the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Disabled American Veterans (DAV).

Mr. Payne is an Eagle Scout and enjoys spending time with his family, watching college football (Go Dawgs), running, reading and golf.