Finance Director Bill Poole To Leave Ivey Administration At End Of The Week

With the end of Governor Kay Ivey's tenure in office coming in January, Alabama State Finance Director Bill Poole has announced he is stepping down from her administration at the end of the week. Poole has served as the state's chief financial official and senior advisor to the governor on all financial matters since he was appointed on August 1, 2021.

Ivey has already announced his interim replacement.  Doryan Carlton will lead the department as soon as Poole leaves the office Friday. Carlton has extensive expertise with the state’s budgets in her current role as the State Budget Officer in the Executive Budget Office.

“Whether it was in the Alabama House of Representatives shepherding the Education Trust Fund or in my Administration leading the Department of Finance, Bill has been an outstanding public servant,” said Governor Ivey. “He has helped our state make headway in many arenas, including transportation infrastructure, economic development, education and innovation. Alabama has improved in virtually every financial and economic metric, and I am beyond grateful to Bill for his service over these last five years. As I often say, Alabama’s best days are still ahead, and I know we can look forward to more good work from Bill.”

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Poole joined the Ivey Administration after serving 11 years in the Alabama House of Repesentatives from Tuscaloosa's 63rd District. During his term in the legislature he served eight years as Chairman of the influential Ways and Means Committee, with the responsibility for leading one of the Legislature’s most powerful budget‑writing bodies,  overseeing the state's $9 billion Education Trust Fund.

“Serving the state of Alabama has been among the greatest privileges of my professional life, and I believe the work and accomplishments of Governor Ivey and her Administration to better the state of Alabama for its citizens are unparalleled. It has been an honor to serve on her team as she works hard every day to make Alabama’s future even stronger,”  Director Poole stated in the press release from Ivey's office announcing his departure. “I am grateful for the trust placed in me and for the opportunity to work alongside Governor Ivey, legislative leadership, talented public servants, policymakers, educators, business leaders and community leaders on issues that I believe will benefit Alabama for years to come. I have been fortunate during my time in public service to have the opportunity to form authentic and impactful relationships with individuals and organizations across Alabama and the nation. Though some of my titles will soon change, those relationships and my interest in helping to continue to improve Alabama’s future will remain consistent.”

Born in New Orleans and raised in Dayton, Poole earned both his BS and JD from the University of Alabama.  He then got political experience working for the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and in international trade law before returning to Tuscaloosa and entering law practice.

The Republican has long had a reputation as a leader in Tuscaloosa and Montgomery. Mayor Walt Maddox has publicly praised Poole’s leadership and his bipartisan work.

Among his major accomplishment was his work in the planning and development of the new Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences being constructed in Demopolis but currently meeting in Livingston.

Poole also chaired the Alabama Innovation Commission, laying groundwork for the state’s innovation economy.

One of his most lasting accomplishments was his leadership in working to get state lawmakers to establish the Rebuild Alabama Act, the statewide transportation improvement program that was proposed by Governor Ivey.

The 51-year-old is married to Niccole and they have two children. Poole's father, Bill II, served as a city attorney for Demopolis.