Sue Carol Payton (born September 29, 1950) was United States Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition) from 2006 to 2009.^[2] She was born in Champaign, Illinois.^[1]

Sue C. Payton was educated at Eastern Illinois University, receiving a BS in education in 1972.^[3] She later returned to school at the University of Southern California and earned an M.S. in systems acquisition management and systems technology in 1985.^[3]

In 1989, Payton joined Martin Marietta in Reston, Virginia as Senior Site Systems Integration Manager.^[3] She worked there until 1994, when she moved to Lockheed Martin (also in Reston), as Manager of Advanced Technology in the Office of the Vice President (Business Development).^[3] She left Lockheed Martin in 1998.^[3] She then completed the Executive Program of the Goizueta Business School later in 1998.^[3]

In 1999, Payton became Director of the National Center for Applied Technology in Springfield, Virginia.^[3] She joined ImageLinks, Inc. (later acquired by the Harris Corporation) as Vice President (Applied Technology) in 2000.^[3]

Payton joined the United States Department of Defense in Washington, D.C. in 2001, when she was named Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Advanced Systems and Concepts.^[3] On April 25, 2006, President of the United States George W. Bush nominated Payton to be Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition).^[3] She subsequently held this office for the rest of the Bush administration.

Sue Payton is married to astronaut and aerospace educator Col. Gary Payton and they have a daughter Courtney.^[4]