Kathryn Elizabeth Hamm (born June 2, 1969) is an American author and businesswoman who has served as the
chief operating officer
A chief operating officer or chief operations officer, also called a COO, is one of the highest-ranking executive positions in an organization, composing part of the "C-suite". The COO is usually the second-in-command at the firm, especially if t ...
of ''
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...
'' since 2021.
Prior to joining ''Cook'', Hamm had a successful career in the
wedding
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...
industry. She was the publisher of GayWeddings until its acquisition by WeddingWire in 2015. She also co-authored ''The New Art of Capturing Love'' (2014), a photographic guide to same-sex weddings.
Early life and education
Hamm was born and raised in
Dallas
Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
, Texas. After graduating from Greenhill School in Addison, Texas, Hamm attended
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...
where, as a freshman, she was the leading seasonal scorer for the University women's soccer team. She graduated from Princeton with a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) in Psychology and then received a
Master of Social Work
The Master of Social Work (MSW) is a master's degree in the field of social work. It is a professional degree with specializations compared to Bachelor of Social Work (BSW). MSW promotes macro-, mezzo- and micro-aspects of professional social wor ...
(M.S.W.) from
Catholic University
Catholic higher education includes universities, colleges, and other institutions of higher education privately run by the Catholic Church, typically by religious institutes. Those tied to the Holy See are specifically called pontifical univ ...
. She also served as an educator and school administrator in the Washington, D.C. area.
Wedding business
In 1999, Hamm's mother Gretchen began a business out of frustration at the lack of suitable wedding accessories available as Hamm planned a commitment ceremony with her female partner. The business, which eventually was called Gayweddings.com, included offering "
femme
''Femme'' (; , literally meaning "woman") is a term traditionally used to describe a lesbian who exhibits a feminine identity or gender presentation. Alternate meanings of the word also exist with some non-lesbian individuals using the word, ...
" or "butch" thank-you cards and fancy wedding proclamations. At the beginning of the business, vendors at stationery shows "would just look at her like she was crazy" but a few years later the vendors showed more interest in helping out. Near the end of 2006, Hamm headed the business Gretchen started to allow her mother to increase her lobbying efforts for equal rights for same-sex couples. Hamm began holding 'Gay Weddings 101' wedding-planning seminars in areas such as Chicago,
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, and Washington D.C. During an interview at the end of 2006, the Virginia-based wedding consultant noted, "For the longest time, there was so much shame and privacy around it that people didn't really give themselves permission to have ceremonies like this. ... The market is growing as the headlines remain out there."
In 2010, Hamm formed a business partnership with American singer-songwriter
Catie Curtis
Catie Curtis (born 22 May 1965) is an American singer-songwriter working primarily in the folk rock idiom. Her most recent album recording,''The Raft,'' was released in 2020.
Career
Curtis was raised in Saco, Maine. By the age of fifteen she ...
to serve as a wedding officiate for GayWeddings.com and help same-sex couples design their own ceremonies.
In 2013, she married her long-time partner, political analyst
Amy Walter
Amy Elizabeth Walter (born October 19, 1969)"Profile: Amy Walter"
.
In 2013, with photographer Thea Dodds, she co-authored ''Capturing Love: The Art of Lesbian and Gay Wedding Photography'' which was reviewed by
Human Rights Campaign
The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGB ...
, Book review.
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
, ''
Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'', ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
KNPR
KNPR (88.9 FM, "News 88.9") is a non-commercial radio station located in Las Vegas, Nevada. KNPR airs news/talk programming syndicated by National Public Radio (NPR). KNPR broadcasts in HD.
History
KNPR signed on for the first time on Marc ...
, ''
Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'', ''Echomag.com''. ''
Good Morning America
''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...
'' called the book a "groundbreaking guide" to same-sex marriage, and Human Rights Campaign said Hamm was a "wedding innovator".
In May 2013, the book was picked up by Amphoto Books (an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group) and revised and expanded for release as ''The New Art of Capturing Love: The Essential Guide to Lesbian & Gay Wedding Photography ''on May 6, 2014.
In June 2015, WeddingWire, Inc acquired GayWeddings.com.
''The Cook Political Report''
Hamm joined the staff of ''
The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter
''The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter'' is an American online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the U.S. Presidency, the United States Senate, the United States House of Representatives, and U.S. governors' offices. Sel ...
'' in 2021 when
Charlie Cook
Charles Edward Cook Jr. (born November 20, 1953) is an American political analyst who specializes in election forecasts and political trends.
Cook writes election forecasts and rankings in the publication he founded, ''The Cook Political Report'' ...
relinquished ownership of the publication. As the organization's chief operating officer, Hamm has spearheaded efforts to emphasize the organization's brand and expand its subscriber base.