Department of Finance

Bill Poole was appointed Finance Director for the State of Alabama on August 1, 2021. As Alabama’s chief financial officer, he serves as an advisor to the Governor and Legislature on all financial matters and is charged with promoting and protecting the fiscal interests of the state.

Bill previously served in the Alabama House of Representatives for eleven years, including eight years as Chairman of the House Ways & Means Education Appropriations Committee. During his legislative career, he successfully sponsored major initiatives involving education financing and reform, infrastructure modernization, economic incentive programs, and strategic economic development efforts. In 2016, he was recognized nationally as one of the top 24 “rising political stars” for his legislative accomplishments and was selected for the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship – a two-year program that brings together lawmakers from across the country who demonstrate a commitment to bipartisan leadership and civility in public service.

Bill also served as Chairman of the Alabama Innovation Commission, established by Governor Ivey in 2020 to foster growth in the state’s technology, entrepreneurship, and innovation economy. He continues this work today as Chairman of Innovate Alabama, the state’s first public-private partnership created to advance innovation and entrepreneurship.

In January 2025, Bill was named to the Presidential Leadership Scholars Class of 2025, a prestigious program that brings together accomplished leaders from across the country to strengthen leadership skills through collaboration with former presidents, academics, and industry leaders.

An attorney by training, Bill earned his Juris Doctorate at the University of Alabama School of Law and was a private attorney for seventeen years before becoming Finance Director. From 1997 to 2001, he worked in Washington D.C., serving on the staff of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and later with the international trade law firm Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg P.A. and the Pharmaceutical Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).

A native of rural, southwest Alabama, Bill and his wife Niccole are the parents of Sally, Brother and Whitt Poole. The Pooles are members of First Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and are involved in a variety of community organizations.