Contact Info

John F. Kennedy School
of Government
Mailbox 82, 79 JFK Street
Cambridge, MA 02138

Linda_bilmes@
harvard.edu
(617) 495-4753

Assistant:
Julie DeBenedictis
(617) 495-8660

Linda Bilmes

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School of Government

Professor Linda J. Bilmes is the Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy. Her research focuses on US budgeting and public administration, particularly on the costs of war, veterans’ affairs and the civil service. Her recent books include the New York Times bestseller The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict (with Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2008) and The People Factor: Strengthening America by Investing in Public Service (with W. Scott Gould, Brookings, 2009).

She has held senior positions in government including Assistant Secretary and CFO of the US Department of Commerce under President Clinton. She currently serves on the US National Park System Advisory Board and the US Department of Labor Veterans Employment and Training Advisory Board. Bilmes is a leading national expert on financial and budgetary issues. She has written widely, appeared on many national radio and television broadcasts, and testified to Congress on numerous occasions. At Harvard, she is a full-time faculty member and runs workshops for mayors and members of congress.

Issues: Budget and Tax Policy, Discretionary Spending, Efficient Government, Federal Budget, Government Investment, Healthcare, Medicare/Medicaid, Municipal/State Budgets, National Debt, Off Shore Tax Shelters, Payroll Taxes, Privatization, Social Insurance, Social Investment, Social Security, Unfunded Mandates, US Infrastructure

Experience:

• Advisory Board Member, National Parks Advisory
• Assistant Secretary, US Department of Commerce, Clinton Administration, 1999-2001
• Chief Financial Officer, US Department of Commerce, Clinton Administration, 1999-2001
• Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration & Budget, US Department of Commerce, Clinton Administration, 1997-1998
• Special Advisor, National Performance Review, Office of the US Vice President, 5/1997 – 7/1997
• Principal, Boston Consulting Group, London, UK, 1988-1997
• Senior Engagement Manager, Boston Consulting Group, London, UK, 1990-1991
• Consultant, Boston Consulting Group, London, UK, 1988-1989
• Consultant, Bain & Company, London, UK, 1986-1987
• Trainee Media Consultant, Campaign Strategies Inc., New York
1980-1982
• Adjunct Professor, Boston University: London Campus, 1995-1997
• US Commissioner, Commission on Inter-American Investment, Washington, 1994-1996