Tracy Croom retired on January 1, 2016, with nearly 30 years of service from the City of Tuscaloosa after serving as the City Clerk for the City of Tuscaloosa since June 2008. Currently, Croom serves as the first minority Director of Procurement and Purchasing Services for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.
Celebrating many firsts in her career, Croom was promoted the first minority female department head for the City of Tuscaloosa. Prior to serving as City Clerk, Croom was the City’s Associate Finance Director for over 21 years making her the first female minority administrator for the city. Graduating in 1983 as a married mother with two very small children and the only minority female in her graduating class at The University of Alabama with a BS degree in International Finance and Law, she began her professional career with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Birmingham Branch as the first minority woman in management. She holds the distinctions of Certified Public Manager, Certified Government Finance Officer and Certified Government Accounting Technician.
She has served on numerous local, state and national boards throughout her career. In 2004, under her leadership as President of the Alabama Government Finance Officers Association, the Certified Governmental Accounting Technician of Alabama (CGAT) program was developed as a training program for local and county governments, as well as school systems throughout Alabama. This training program continues today at The University of Alabama College of Continuing Studies and has trained over 500 professionals since its inception. She has served and continues to serve a number of nonprofit organizations, but her greatest love is mentoring girls and women aspiring to break glass ceilings.
She is the proud mother of four amazing children: Tamara Croom, Kevin Croom, Teresa (Rodney) Bivens and Kennis Croom, and nine beautiful grandchildren Talia, Erwin Jr., Ethan, Chloe, Rocwell, Kenzie, Tinsley, Averi and Kylin. She is married to Dr. Willie Clyde and together they live in Atlanta, Georgia.
Kathy Loveless is the Vice President and Controller for The Coca-Cola Company, based in Atlanta, Georgia. As Controller, Kathy and her team have the oversite responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of all external financial statements, establishing and ensuring adherence to internal controls and governance polices, as well as leading the enterprise risk management program. She joined the Coca-Cola system in 1988 and held a variety of roles around the world before being named to her current position in 2020.
Kathy previously served as Chief of Staff to the Chief Financial Officer, which included managing business needs for the finance function; leading staff and other key leadership programs and meetings; executing the CFO’s key communications agenda across the organization; and creating presentations for internal and external needs.
Her first role with the Coca-Cola system was in 1988 as a Treasury Accountant for what was then a newly formed bottler, Coca-Cola Enterprises. Two years later, she moved to the controller’s group with The Coca-Cola Company and assumed various roles of increasing responsibility.
She led the company’s Global Capital Management team before launching her international career. Kathy spent eight years as the primary finance lead in various operations in Europe and Asia, including leading the Netherlands and Benelux Regions, the Benelux and France Division and the Thailand Region.
Kathy returned to the United States in 2004 to lead Global Planning, where she initiated processes and tools that continue to be used today. In 2008, she moved to Canada as Vice President of Finance for Coca-Cola Limited. She later moved over to the bottler organization as Vice President and CFO of Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada.
She moved back to the United States in 2013 and held various roles supporting start-up work for the company’s refranchising of its North American bottling business and as lead finance for the Venturing & Emerging Brands unit of Coca-Cola North America.
Kathy was named Executive Assistant to the company’s CFO in 2015 and is a graduate of the University of Alabama.