Payne has served as the Director of Athletics & Wellness since 2000.

During his tenure, he has overseen the creation and building of a new baseball field, soccer field, gym facility, as well as 10 varsity athletic programs. Those programs have produced multiple NJCAA National tournament qualifiers including baseball’s 3rd place finish in 2005 and the men’s basketball national runner-up in 2017.

Under Payne’s direction, a student-athletic academic support program ACE (Athletes Commitment to Education) was created to assist student-athletes in their academic endeavors.

Graduating with a Masters in Sport Management from The United States Sports Academy, Payne has lead the athletic department in being a premier community college option.

Kent and his wife, Sherry, have three children who all played Division I athletics, Cully, Katlyn, and Quinten.