Kimball Payne has a bachelor’s degree in botany from Duke University and master’s degrees in public administration and urban and environmental planning from the University of Virginia. After graduating from Duke University, Payne was commissioned as an ensign in the Navy, where he spent almost eight years on active duty as a naval flight officer, including three years as a naval ROTC instructor at the University of Virginia. After leaving active duty, he served in the Navy Reserve for 12 years, retiring as a Commander. His first job in local government was as the assistant county administrator in Spotsylvania County. He then took on the role of county administrator in Spotsylvania County, where he stayed for 14 years. In 2001, he stepped into the position of city manager for Lynchburg and retired in 2016. Since 2017, Payne has held a part-time role as an executive manager with the Berkley Group, a consulting firm with offices throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and North Carolina. The firm specializes in administration, community development and planning, education, human resources, and public safety.

1. What is your proudest accomplishment over the course of your career?

In both communities where I worked as a local government manager, I was proudest of developing a team of public servants who worked for the betterment of the community, delivered services to its citizens, and were dedicated to public service.

2. What made you interested in public administration?

When I knew I was going to get off active duty, I was looking for something to do next, and continuing to be of service to my community was my main goal. I was in graduate school for public administration at that point, which was part of what led me in the direction of local government. I knew the county executive for Albemarle County, and I met with him to talk about his experience working in local government management. He got me interested, and the rest is history.

3. What is your favorite part of your job as executive manager of the Berkley Group?

My favorite part is I get to travel all over the state and consult with local government managers and governing bodies to help make local government better in Virginia.

4. What do you look forward to seeing GO Virginia Region 2 do more of in the future?

I’d like Region 2 to think about how we work on our regional identity. Region 2 is a big area with a lot of differences, but it will be important to continue to develop a shared vision for the region moving forward. Also, it is important to focus on workforce development, as in the end, one of the main goals of the GO Virginia program is to have employment for people so they can live in the communities they want to live in.

5. Who has been your greatest mentor and what did you learn from them?

Throughout my career I’ve had lots of colleagues in local government who I could go to for assistance. Sometimes you’re dealing with a problem you think is intractable, and you find out somebody else is dealing with either a worse problem or they dealt with the same one, resolved it, and moved on. That group of colleagues was a great support network for me.

6. What is one of your favorite parts of living in GO Virginia Region 2?

The mountains, the rivers, the streams. The outdoors. The cities in Region 2, including Roanoke, Lynchburg, and Salem are great smaller cities. There’s a lot of variety, culture, and opportunities there.

7. What activities and hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?

I’ll be learning to fly fish for the rest of my life. I love fishing up on mountain streams and on the river. I garden, and I read when I can. And I have 12 grandchildren, so any time I can spend with them is fun.

8. What is the most memorable place you’ve ever visited?

The most spectacular place I’ve visited is the Grand Canyon, so maybe that makes it the most memorable. But the most out of the way place I’ve been was Ascension Island, which is in the South Atlantic Ocean. It’s a unique place. Turtles hatch there. There are fields of obsidian, and there’s a big volcano in the middle of the island. The island was prominent for two reasons – it was settled by the British, and they build a fort there to guard Napoleon when he was exiled to Saint Helena, the closest island to it. It also has an airfield there that the U.S. ferried aircraft from during World War 2.