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Kathryn Hamm

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Kathryn Hamm
Born
Kathryn Elizabeth Hamm

(1969-06-02) June 2, 1969 (age 55)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
EducationPrinceton University (BA)
Catholic University of America (MSW)
Spouse
​
(m. 2013)​
Children1

Kathryn Elizabeth Hamm (born June 2, 1969) is an American author and businesswoman who has served as the chief operating officer of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter since 2021.[1]

Prior to joining Cook, Hamm had a successful career in the wedding industry. She was the publisher of GayWeddings until its acquisition by WeddingWire in 2015.[2] She also co-authored The New Art of Capturing Love (2014), a photographic guide to same-sex weddings.

Early life and education

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Hamm was born and raised in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from Greenhill School in Addison, Texas,[3] Hamm attended Princeton University where, as a freshman, she was the leading seasonal scorer for the university women's soccer team.[3] She graduated from Princeton with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in psychology and then received a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) from Catholic University. She also served as an educator and school administrator in the Washington, D.C. area.

Wedding business

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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.[4] The business, which eventually was called Gayweddings.com, included offering "femme" or "butch" thank-you cards and fancy wedding proclamations.[4] 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.[5] 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.[4][6] Hamm began holding 'Gay Weddings 101' wedding-planning seminars in areas such as Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C.[4] 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."[7]

In 2010, Hamm formed a business partnership with American singer-songwriter Catie Curtis to serve as a wedding officiate for GayWeddings.com and help same-sex couples design their own ceremonies.[8]

In 2013, she married her long-time partner, political analyst Amy Walter.[9]

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,[10] National Public Radio,[11] Boston Globe,[12] Good Morning America,[13] Talk Radio News Service,[14] KNPR,[15] Baltimore Sun,[16] Echomag.com.[17] Good Morning America called the book a "groundbreaking guide" to same-sex marriage,[13] and Human Rights Campaign said Hamm was a "wedding innovator".[10]

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.[18]

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter

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Hamm joined the staff of The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter in 2021 when she and Amy Walter acquired the business as co-owners. As the organization's chief operating officer, Hamm has spearheaded efforts to emphasize the organization's brand and expand its subscriber base.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ @JessicaTaylor (July 30, 2021). "And we're really lucky to have @KHammCPR join as the CPRwAW's COO — she's been a part of the CPR family already as Amy's wife and she's bringing her amazing organizational skills and marketing and promotional eye to our team. So congrats to her @Redistrict & @alflinn too!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Kangarloo, Kasra (June 9, 2015). "WeddingWire expands services to same-sex marriages with second acquisition". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Harless Wade (November 5, 1987), Sports Today, Dallas Morning News, p. 2B, retrieved October 27, 2013
  4. ^ a b c d Sue Anne Pressley Montes (November 30, 2006), "Wedding Songs, Written to Order Composer Helps Gay, Straight Couples Put Their Love to Personalized Music", Washington Post, p. T10, archived from the original on November 5, 2013, retrieved October 27, 2013
  5. ^ Joshua Kurlantzick (April 11, 2008), "A Red Carpet for Gay Weddings", Nytimes.com, p. 1, retrieved October 27, 2013
  6. ^ Ellen Warren (August 31, 2008), Seeing double, Chicago Tribune, p. 7, retrieved October 27, 2013
  7. ^ Dionne Walker (December 26, 2006), "Gay wedding industry is booming. Despite bans, same-sex couples are spending an estimated $1 billion a year on ceremonies.", Los Angeles Times, p. 4, retrieved October 27, 2013
  8. ^ Top Singer Songwriter to Officiate Gay Weddings, Business Wire, December 7, 2010, retrieved October 27, 2013
  9. ^ "A Legal Wedding 2 Decades in the Making". Freedom to Marry. November 2013. Archived from the original on December 9, 2013. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  10. ^ a b Maureen McCarty (January 24, 2013). "Review: Capturing Love: The Art of Lesbian & Gay Wedding Photography". Human Rights Campaign. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013. Book review.
  11. ^ Amy Ta (June 10, 2013). "'Capturing Love': How To Photograph Same-Sex Weddings". NPR. Retrieved October 21, 2013. Book review.
  12. ^ Jim Lopata (May 17, 2013). "How to throw a (gay) wedding". Boston Globe. Retrieved October 21, 2013. Book review.
  13. ^ a b SUSAN DONALDSON JAMES (February 13, 2013). "'Capturing love': Gay weddings don't fit the straight mold". Good Morning America. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  14. ^ "TRNS Interview: Gay Marriage Poses New Opportunities For Wedding Planners". Talk Radio News Service. April 9, 2013. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013. Book review.
  15. ^ "Gay Wedding Photography". KNPR. March 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  16. ^ L'Oreal Thompson (January 29, 2013). "New photography guide focuses on same-sex couples". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  17. ^ Liz Massey. "Behind the Camera". Echomag.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2013. Retrieved October 21, 2013.
  18. ^ "WeddingWire, Inc. Acquires GayWeddings.com". WeddingWire. Retrieved February 13, 2016.

Further reading

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