ATLANTA - June 23, 2022 - Cox Communications announced today that senior vice president of human resources business partnerships, Kia Painter, has been promoted to executive vice president and chief people officer effective Jan. 1, 2023. Painter will succeed Karen Bennett who has been named executive vice president and chief people officer at Cox Enterprises effective Jan. 1, 2023. Painter will join the company’s senior leadership team, reporting to Cox Communications President Mark Greatrex.

Throughout her nearly 25 years with Cox, Painter has been devoted to understanding and anticipating the evolving needs of the company’s diverse workforce. She has helped to shape the company’s talent and leadership development programs, compensation structure and inclusion, diversity and equity strategies. In her current role, Painter is responsible for leading HR business consulting and service delivery functions. She has also served as vice president, strategic human resources solutions. She led the company’s key talent practices including organization design, succession planning and employee engagement.

“These are exciting times for our Cox family of companies, and I am thrilled to have Kia’s tremendous talent on my senior leadership team,” said Greatrex. “Her strong investment in her personal development and relationships with company business leaders has given her a keen understanding of how the business, operations and front-line work come together to deliver for Cox employees and customers.”

In addition to her groundbreaking workforce development work at Cox, Painter has had a tremendous impact on many people through her personal commitment to mentoring and sponsorship in our company and across the industry. She serves as a board member for Content & Connectivity Human Resources (C2HR), the broadband connectivity and video content industry association for HR professionals, and sits on the advisory board for the Consort Institute for Clark Atlanta University.  She is also active in the National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC) and Women In Cable and Telecommunications (WICT).

Painter is also the recipient of various industry awards including the Horizon Woman to Watch Award, The WICT Network Southeast, CableFAX Diversity List, Top 40 under 40 by Multichannel News magazine, and the NAMIC Luminary Award for up-and-coming industry executives. She holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from James Madison University. She also holds a master’s degree in human and organizational development from The George Washington University and an MBA from Tulane University.

About Cox Communications:
Cox Communications is committed to creating meaningful moments of human connection through broadband applications and services. The largest private telecom company in America, we proudly serve nearly seven million homes and businesses across 18 states. We’re dedicated to empowering others to build a better future and celebrate diverse products, people, suppliers, communities and the characteristics that makes each one unique. Cox Communications is the largest division of Cox Enterprises, a family-owned business founded in 1898 by Governor James M. Cox.