Alabama Department of Finance Director Bill Poole will depart at the end of the week after 16 years of state service, and Governor Kay Ivey has named State Budget Officer Doryan Carlton to lead the department.
"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," Ivey said. "He has helped our state make headway in many arenas, including transportation infrastructure, economic development, education and innovation."
Poole has served as the state's chief financial officer and chief executive officer of the Department of Finance since 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.
He 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 Poole with its Innovate Deal of the Year award, and he most recently led the effort to secure financing for the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway project.
Poole also took part in planning and development work for the new Alabama School of Healthcare Sciences, administered the distribution of more than $2 billion in Covid-19 relief funds and led the formation of Innovate Alabama. Before joining the administration, he represented a Tuscaloosa-area district for 11 years in the Alabama House, leading the House education appropriations committee for eight of those years.
"Serving the state of Alabama has been among the greatest privileges of my professional life," Poole said. "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."
Carlton comes to the role after serving as State Budget Officer in the Executive Budget Office. Ivey said Alabama has not once declared proration during her administration, crediting Carlton's leadership in part.
"Many giants have come before us at the Department of Finance, and I know Doryan will be a giant in her own right," Ivey said.
Carlton said she was honored by the appointment. "I look forward to building on the Department's strong foundation, working collaboratively with our talented staff and dedicated professionals across state government, and continuing our commitment to responsible stewardship of the state's financial resources," she said.
Poole will serve through Friday, October 2. Carlton will take the helm immediately following.