About Women First
Women First is a leading advocate for the protection and expansion of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program, representing women-owned small businesses in all 50 states across the highway, transit, and airport construction sectors since 1987. Our mission is to ensure women entrepreneurs have the opportunity to thrive, grow, and contribute meaningfully to their communities and the nation’s infrastructure. We believe the federal government should help these businesses flourish — not stand in the way of their success.
About Joann Payne, President
Joann Payne has spent the past three decades as a strong and effective advocate for women-owned businesses in the transportation and construction industries. As the President of Women First, Joann is regarded as one of the nation’s foremost legislative strategists and experts at navigating the federal, state, and local bureaucracies on behalf of small and disadvantaged businesses.
For over three decades, Joann has been adept at building bipartisan support starting in the mid- to late-1980s, when she successfully lobbied the Reagan Administration and the Democratic-controlled Congress to gain support for her clients. This lobbying effort resulted in women being added to the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Program.
She has successfully promoted the economic interests of over 25,000 women business owners as part of Women First focusing on the following areas: small business, government contracting, affirmative action, transportation, defense, and small business innovative research companies (SBIR). Her efforts have ensured that specific local governments receive necessary federal funding and successfully accomplish their goals. Additionally, she has secured millions of dollars for small women-owned businesses in the defense industry and small, medium, and large highway construction companies. In 2025, Women First joined a coalition of minority- and women-owned businesses and trade organizations who were granted the right to intervene to defend the constitutionality of the DBE program in the lawsuit Mid-America Milling Co. v. DOT.
Joann’s expertise has led her to chairing task forces, testifying before congressional committees, conducting staff briefings, and writing various policy memorandums. She’s maintained productive relationships with both Republicans and Democrats, making her one of the most effective lobbyists on Capitol Hill for the past 30 years. Her advocacy effectiveness has earned her the title from colleagues and peers as a “one-woman legislative machine.”