Tommy Joe Payne

Tommy Joe Payne was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President of External Relations for R.J. Reynolds in January 1999. Prior to that, he was Vice President of Federal Government Affairs in RJR's Washington office. He is RJR's lobbyist in Washington, D.C.

At the time of his 1999 promotion, Payne was 40 years old and succeeded Thomas C. Griscom, who was executive vice president of external relations. Griscom resigned from RJR to become executive vice president of corporate communications at Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, the parent company of U.S. and international newspapers, Fox Studios, the Fox Cable Network, TV Guide, Harper Collins and other operations.

Biography
Payne is a native of Greenville, North Carolina and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from East Carolina University and a law degree from Wake Forest University. Before joining RJR in 1988, Payne worked as a legislative representative for the Tobacco Institute in Washington, D.C. Prior to that, he served as legislative counsel for former Congressman Walter Jones and practiced law with Murray & Associates in Washington. After joining RJR as a manager in government relations in 1988, Payne held a number of assignments in the company's Washington office. He was promoted to director of federal government affairs in 1989 and to vice president of federal government affairs in 1995. Author 	RJR