Bill Poole is stepping down as Director of the Alabama Department of Finance, a role he’s held for over five years, and according to Governor Kay Ivey’s office – is departing after 16 years of state service.
Poole has been a constant on Yellowhammer News’ Power & Influence list since 2015.
The former lawmaker from Tuscaloosa and Education Trust Fund budget chairman in the Alabama House said that though his titles will soon change, “those relationships and my interest in helping to continue to improve Alabama’s future will remain consistent.”
“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,” Director Poole said. “It has been an honor to serve on her team as she works hard every day to make Alabama’s future even stronger.”
“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.”
Poole has served as the state’s chief financial officer and chief executive officer of the Department of Finance since Governor Ivey appointed him in 2021. In that time, his office worked with the governor to prepare budgets totaling more than $75 billion in state funds.
According to the governor’s office, Director Poole helped steward more than $7 billion in public bond financing and strategic debt restructuring, routinely outperforming market peers.
In 2022, The Bond Buyer honored the state and Director Poole with its Innovate Deal of the Year award. Most recently, Director Poole successfully led the effort to secure the historic financing of the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project.
Governor Kay Ivey is sending Poole off with glowing praise over his nearly-two-decade tenure in service to the state.
“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,” Governor Ivey said Monday morning
“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.”
Ivey named Doryan Carlton, who currently serves as the State Budget Officer in the Executive Budget Office, as Poole’s successor, to oversee the financial affairs of her administration’s final months.
“For years, Doryan has done good work on our state’s budgets within the Executive Budget Office. Thanks in part to her leadership, Alabama has not once declared proration during my Administration,” Ivey added.
“Many giants have come before us at the Department of Finance, and I know Doryan will be a giant in her own right. She is someone who works diligently behind the scenes with an acute attention to detail that will serve our state well.”
Today’s announcement marks a milestone in Poole’s long career, relative to his young age.
A two-time graduate of The University of Alabama and a Tuscaloosa-area attorney, Poole was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in the 2010 wave.
Poole quickly built trust with Republican colleagues, who were enjoying legislative majorities in both chambers for the first time in generations, as a good steward of education budget dollars.
At just 38 years old, Poole was made Chairman of the Alabama House Education Trust Fund Budget Committee, and served in that role until tapped by Governor Ivey to lead the Department of Finance in 2021.
Poole helped guide Alabama’s Education Trust Fund through a pivotal stretch.
Between 2013 and 2021, the state rebuilt school funding after the Great Recession, and did so without proration, under his leadership, all the way through his time overseeing the successful distribution of more than $2 billion in unprecedented Covid-19 relief funds from the federal government as finance director.
Following the conviction of former Alabama House Speaker Mike Hubbard, Poole was seen as a favorite among House members to take over the gavel, but in 2016, ultimately decided not to run.
According to the governor’s office, Director Poole will serve through Friday, and Carlton will take the helm immediately following.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
