Melanie Bush, Treasurer
Melanie serves as the Montgomery County Treasurer after being elected in 2018. The Treasurer’s Office handles the county’s accounting and investments. Melanie is committed to reliability, efficiency, and transparency.
Since 2000, Melanie’s professional career has focused on bookkeeping. Melanie began her bookkeeping career while attending Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from SMU in 2002 with degrees in Political Science, Public Policy, and Economics, Melanie continued to expand her personal bookkeeping business. In 2006, a move to The Woodlands, Texas created a catalyst for significant growth. Better Bookkeepers, Inc. was founded in July 2010 and has rapidly expanded into a thriving bookkeeping service. In 2016, Better Bookkeepers was honored to be named Small Business of the Year by Lone Star College – Montgomery’s Small Business Development Center. Today Better Bookkeepers is managed by an extremely capable management team, leaving Melanie free to focus fully on the Treasurer’s Office.
Melanie is deeply committed to serving her community. Before she was elected as the County Treasurer on November 6, 2018, Melanie served as an elected (and unpaid) Trustee for the Conroe Independent School District, where she has served as the Secretary and President of the Board of Trustees. Melanie also served as the President and Lead Mentor for the Executive Women’s Alliance mentoring high-risk young women in high school, as well as a Power Mentor for the Montgomery County Association of Business Women. She is involved in the Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce, Conroe/Lake Conroe Chamber of Commerce, and Interfaith of the Woodlands, as well as many other community organizations. In 2016, Melanie was humbled to receive the Citizen of the Year award from the Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce.
Melanie believes in having a proper work-life balance. She enjoys spending time with her husband Alan and their two daughters, Rebekah and Audrey. The Bush family is actively involved in the youth and children’s ministries at Hope Church Montgomery. Melanie also enjoys spending time in her backyard with her dogs as well as curling up with a good book, when she isn’t busy being a band mom!
Jan Avery, Chief Deputy
Jan joined the County Treasurer’s Office in May 2004 and is currently the Chief Deputy. She has been an integral part of this office as Bail Bond Administrator, Assistant Investment Officer, and jack of all trades. Her depth of knowledge of the Treasurer’s Office and the history of having worked under three Treasurers is invaluable.
Jan’s accounting experience of over 45 years benefits the taxpayers of Montgomery County, working her way up through private companies to VP and CFO of an oil and gas service company. Bringing that private sector knowledge to her day-to-day handling of county business has helped the county to function at a high-efficiency level.
When Jan isn’t found in the Treasurer’s Office, she can be found gardening or decorating. She has a love for DIY handyman projects, “YouTube is a wealth of information.” But her true passion outside of her family is sailing the high seas. Her best trip so far has been a three-month-long voyage from Clear Lake to Florida to the Bahamas!
Patricia Reaves, Payroll Manager
Patricia joined the County Treasurers’ Office in August 2007 and is currently the Payroll Manager. Patricia will be retiring at the end of 2022 since the creation of a county payroll department in March of 2022! She coordinated with Risk Management, Budget, Human Resources, Audit and all Departments to produce the most accurate payroll week after week. Having worked in many areas of this office, Patricia is the bedrock of knowledge.
Prior to joining the Treasurer’s Office, Patricia worked in accounting and insurance for several small businesses, as well as Whataburger’s Corporate Office. After taking some time to work at home with her children, Patricia reentered the workforce, first with her church as the Church Administrator, and then she joined Humble ISD as Assistant to the Director of Maintenance and Construction. Having handled all aspects of small business, construction processes, insurance packages, and payroll, Patricia helps the county be at its best to benefit the taxpayers.
When it isn’t a payroll week and she can be pried away from the office, Patricia’s absolute favorite thing is to spend time with her family and wonderful grandkids. They shoot shotguns competitively as a family and Patricia can be found working registration and scoring for those tournaments if she isn’t shooting herself. Her husband and Patricia love the travel they get to do with the tournaments, but look forward to going to visit Australia again someday!
Judy Wall, Assistant Treasurer II
Judy joined the County Treasurer’s Office in June 2019, as the Cash Management Accounting Clerk and was promoted in October 2020 to Finance Assistant, now Assistant Treasurer II. Judy is responsible for the banking-related activities in this office. She oversees the cash receipting and reconciles all the bank accounts.
Prior to joining the Treasurer’s Office, Judy was a Court Clerk for the Justice of Peace Court in Precinct 3 for 2 and a half years. Prior to graduating in May 2016 with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree from the University of Houston, Judy had 4 years of extensive customer service experience in the hospitality industry. With her knowledge of all areas of JP 3 and customer service background, Judy was well equipped to step into our office and hit the ground running – and she did!
When not reconciling accounts, Judy can be found doing one of three things. Vegging out and catching up on some reality TV. But this is usually after spending time playing and reading with her precious 4-year-old son! Judy is also working on checking off all the boxes to have the claim to fame that she visited all 61 US National Parks. Currently, she is a tenth of the way to her goal – she’ll do it! We have faith in her.
Tiffany Ward, Assistant Treasurer II
Tiffany joined the Treasurer’s Office in October 2020, as the Cash Management Accounting Clerk. Tiffany transitioned in February 2021 to the Disbursement Accounting Clerk and was promoted in October 2022 to Assistant Treasurer II. She is responsible for all the monies that leave this office. She ensures proper payment to vendors, employees, jurors, as well as processing monthly reports for various departments.
Prior to joining the Treasurer’s Office, Tiffany was an Account Payable Assistant for the County Auditor’s Office for 3 years. Her knowledge of accounting, payment processing, and her relationships with other departments made for an easy transition into her new role in our office.
In her spare time, you can find Tiffany cheering on her daughters at one of their sporting events, ranging from volleyball and softball to cross country and golf. Tiffany has a passion for sports and was also an athlete while she was in school. When she’s not at a sporting event, she’s probably in her kitchen whipping up a Pinterest recipe to try with her friends and family.
Makayla Blake, Assistant Treasurer I
Makayla joined the Treasurer’s Office in January 2022, as the Receipting Accounting Clerk. She is responsible for all the monies that come into this office. She ensures proper receipting, coding and depositing of all the taxpayer’s money.
Prior to joining the Treasurer’s Office, Makayla received her Associates Degree in Human Resources and Organizational Leadership. She is also an active volunteer with A SMART Rescue. Before moving to Montgomery County, Makayla had been a Certified Nursing Assistant at a senior living center and a sales associate in a retail environment. Her focus on others through her previous employment and volunteer work is a benefit to our team.
In her spare time, you can find Makayla volunteering her time in the animal community or spending time with her family. Makayla is a self-proclaimed foodie and loves to try new places to eat.