From the time she was a little girl, Tina Bolt has always enjoyed tackling a good puzzle.
“It's a lot of analysis and I like that. Breaking it down, putting it back together, seeing how it works, what you can improve on. That’s one of my favorite things - what can I do to make this better?” she explains with a smile.
It’s those same types of challenges that keep her excited about her career today.
“When you're doing financial reporting, when you're trying to solve problems with finances - you're basically putting a puzzle together,” Bolt says.
She gets plenty of opportunities to do just that in her role as Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer for the City of Hoover.
“I manage all of the financial activities of the City. That includes investments, revenue, business licenses, payroll, the budget, planning and anything else that comes up throughout the day that is financially related,” she details.
Yes, her position is a dual role. But she doesn’t shy away from that. In fact she feels she’s been prepared for just such a task.
It started with a love of math in 9th grade. Bolt says that led her into a job in corporate accounting right out of college. But she quickly learned, that wasn’t for her.
“It was just so repetitive. The same thing every day,” she recalls.
Needing more variety, she decided to try teaching. And she loved it.
“I think it was the analysis piece of bringing something out of a student. I liked seeing the light bulb go off with these kids.”
She was in the classroom for fourteen years when a friend asked if she wanted to tackle the CFO position with Jackson County Schools. It was a tough choice. She really loved the classroom.
“But then I thought, ‘I’ve got nothing to lose. I'll give it a shot.’ And lo and behold, it worked out okay,” Bolt recounts.
So well, in fact, word of her skill to fix major financial challenges had gotten around. In 2016, she became the CFO for Hoover City Schools, then did the same in Huntsville.
But there was something about Hoover that had captured her heart. So when a position with the City opened up, she jumped at the chance to return.
“I loved the city already because I loved the people when I was here with the schools. I was really impressed with the mayor and other employees of the city,” she says.
Professionally, the puzzle had come together nicely. But a personal challenge loomed.
In 2020, her son, Tadd, was diagnosed with a brain tumor at just 20 years old. And after a 13-month courageous fight, Tadd passed away. Now, Bolt says, the puzzle has shifted—learning to navigate this new chapter and helping her daughter, Claire, do the same. But she feels being in Hoover has helped make the difficult journey a little easier.
“Things happen here in Hoover because these are great people. I do want to say I have worked with some great people over the years, but the City of Hoover as a whole, is a great, great team.”
