Linda J. Bilmes (born 1960) holds the
Daniel Patrick Moynihan
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (March 16, 1927 – March 26, 2003) was an American politician, diplomat and sociologist. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented New York in the United States Senate from 1977 until 2001 and served as an ...
Senior Lecturer Chair in Public Policy and Public Finance at
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
. She is a full-time faculty member at the
Harvard Kennedy School
The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...
where she teaches public policy, budgeting and public finance. She served as Assistant Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of the
US Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for b ...
during the presidency of
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
She is a leading national expert on financial, budgeting, veterans and civil service issues. Bilmes is widely credited with drawing attention to the cost of the
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...
and to the long-term cost of caring for returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans. She has received numerous awards and distinctions from peace groups and veterans organizations. She is the recipient of the 2008 “Speaking Truth to Power” Award from the
American Friends Service Committee. Bilmes serves as the United States member of th
United Nations Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) appointed in 2017 by the
Secretary General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-ge ...
and re-appointed to a second term from 2021 to 2025. She is a contributor to the
Watson Institute
The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs is an interdisciplinary research center at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Its mission is to promote a just and peaceful world through research, teaching, and public engagement ...
's
Costs of War Project
The Costs of War Project is a nonpartisan research project based at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University that seeks to document the direct and indirect human and financial costs of U.S. wars in Iraq and ...
She has testified to the US Congress on numerous occasions regarding the costs of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the long-term consequences for providing veterans care. She co-authored the landmark centennial study of the economic value of the US National Parks System, which established a baseline value of $92 billion for the parks and program
and co-authored a book on the economic value of national parks.
She is a faculty affiliate of the
Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, the
Taubman Center for State and Local Government, the
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
The Robert and Renée Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, also known as the Belfer Center, is a research center located within the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, in the United States. From 2017 until his death in Oc ...
and the
Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston. At Harvard, Professor Bilmes founded and directs the Rappaport Greater Boston Applied Field Lab, an advanced program in which teams of students work directly in local communities on budgeting and financial challenges. She leads budgeting workshops and training sessions for newly elected Mayors and Members of Congress run by the
Harvard Institute of Politics
The Institute of Politics (IOP) is an institute of Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University that was created to serve as a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy, as well as to inspire Harvard undergraduates to consider careers in politi ...
. Bilmes also teaches and conducts research at the
Blavatnik School of Government
The Blavatnik School of Government is a school of public policy founded in 2010 at the University of Oxford in England. The School was founded following a £75 million donation from a business magnate Leonard Blavatnik, supported by £26 million ...
at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, where she was a visiting fellow at Brasenose College.
She is a member of the
Council on Foreign Relations
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an American think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, mi ...
and a Fellow of the
National Academy of Public Administration. She is Co-chair of
Economists for Peace and Security Economists for Peace and Security (EPS) is a New York-based, United Nations accredited and registered global organization and network of thought-leading economists, political scientists, and security experts founded in 1989 that promotes non-militar ...
and serves on the board of the
Institute for Veterans and Military Families
The Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) is an interdisciplinary research institution that informs and advances the policy, economic and wellness concerns of the America’s veterans and families. It is housed in the #National Vete ...
.
Early life and education
Bilmes was born in New York and raised in
San Mateo, California
San Mateo ( ; ) is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. About 20 miles (32 km) south of San Francisco, the city borders Burlingame to the north, Hillsborough to the west, San Francisco Bay and Foster C ...
, the daughter of Lila Yolanda Lynn and Murray Bilmes. Her adoptive stepfather is Myron Nye Humphrey. She was given the middle name "Jan" after her godmother, singer
Jan DeGaetani
Jan (Janice) DeGaetani (July 10, 1933 – September 15, 1989) was an American mezzo-soprano known for her performances of contemporary classical vocal compositions.
DeGaetani was born in Massillon, Ohio. Educated at The Juilliard School with ...
. She attended public schools including
Aragon High School
Aragon High School is a public co-educational high school in San Mateo, California. It is part of the San Mateo Union High School District (SMUHSD). It is located in San Mateo County, a large suburb just outside San Francisco. The school is accre ...
. During her senior year, she worked as an intern for
Governor Jerry Brown during his first term as Governor of California. Bilmes holds an degree in government from
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, a master's of business administration degree from
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...
and a doctor of philosophy degree from the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
. After earning a graduate business degree, she worked as a pollster and political consultant and then as a management consultant with
Bain & Company
Bain & Company is an American management consulting company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. The firm provides advice to public, private, and non-profit organizations. One of the Big Three management consultancies, Bain & Company was fou ...
until 1987. From 1988 to 1996, she worked at management consulting company
The Boston Consulting Group
Boston Consulting Group, Inc. (BCG) is an American global management consulting firm founded in 1963 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the Big Three (or MBB, the world’s three largest management consulting firms by rev ...
based in London, Madrid and Moscow. As a principal at The Boston Consulting Group, Bilmes helped build the company's United Kingdom healthcare practice, launch the Madrid office, and was appointed as one of 10 Western advisors to the Russian Ministry of Privatization, where she helped to draft Russia's first healthcare financing legislation and managed public financial restructuring projects throughout Europe.
Government service
Bilmes has held senior positions in the US government including US Assistant Secretary and CF
of the
United States Department of Commerce
The United States Department of Commerce is an executive department of the U.S. federal government concerned with creating the conditions for economic growth and opportunity. Among its tasks are gathering economic and demographic data for bu ...
. Prior to joining the Harvard faculty, Bilmes served in government during the Presidency of
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
. She was confirmed twice by the U.S. Senate, first as Assistant Secretary for Administration and Budget, and additionally as Chief Financial Officer, of the United States Department of Commerce, from 1998 to 2001. She previously served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Administration from 1997-1998. She has been appointed to several high-ranking commissions, including a Treasury Department commission to examine the viability of the Inter-American Investment Corporation. From 2009 to 2011 She served as a commissioner on the bipartisan National Parks Second Century Commission. During the Obama administration she served from 2011 to 2017 on the
U.S. Department of Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the man ...
National Parks System Advisory Board and on the US
Department of Labor
The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...
Advisory Board on Veterans Employment and Training.
Books and publications
Bilmes is the author of several important books, book chapters and academic papers. She is co-author, with Nobel laureate
Joseph Stiglitz
Joseph Eugene Stiglitz (; born February 9, 1943) is an American New Keynesian economist, a public policy analyst, and a full professor at Columbia University. He is a recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (2001) and the Joh ...
, of ''
The Three Trillion Dollar War'', which became a New York Times and international best-seller (W.W. Norton). She is co-author of ''
The People Factor: Strengthening America by Investing in Public Service'' with
W. Scott Gould. (Brookings Institution Press) and ''
Gebt un das Risiko Zuruck'' with Peter Strueven and Konrad Wetzker. She is co-author with John Loomis of ''
Valuing U.S.Parks and Programs: America's Best investment''
Routledge
Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...
.
Articles
*
Pdf.*
Non-subscription version.'
*
Pdf.*
Personal life
Bilmes is married to Jon Hakim, a British citizen. They have three sons.
External links
Faculty BioBilmes' listing in Harvard University faculty directory
*
*Bilmes, Linda "Soldiers Returning From Iraq and Afghanistan: The Long-term Costs of Providing Veterans Medical Care and Disability Benefits" 2007
Inside Higher Ed articleThree Trillion Dollar War BlogList of publicationsBrookings Press People Factor blog*Book chapter by Linda Bilmes and Joseph Stiglitz in Lessons from Iraq: Avoiding the Next War ed. by Miriam Pemberton and William Hartung
*Book chapter by Linda Bilmes and Jeffrey Neal in "For the People" ed. by John Donahue and Joseph Nye
Bilmes, Linda. Book chapter "Scoring Goals for People and Company" in Mastering People Management Ed. James Pickford. *Joseph E. Stiglitz and Linda J. Bilmes “Estimating the costs of war: Methodological issues, with applications to Iraq and Afghanistan” in the Oxford Handbook of the Economics of Peace and Conflict. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 2010.
*Bilmes, Linda and Joseph Stiglitz. "The long-term costs of conflict: the case of the Iraq War" in Handbook On the Economics of Conflict. Eds. Derek L. Braddon and Keith Hartley. Edward Elgar Publishing, June 2011.
Bilmes, Linda and Joseph Stiglitz. "The $10 Trillion Hangover: Paying the Price for Eight Years of Bush." Harper's, January 2009.Bilmes, Linda and Joseph Stiglitz. "The $3 Trillion War." Vanity Fair, April 2008.*Bilmes, Linda and Joseph Stiglitz, "The Economic Cost of Iraq War." Milken Institute, 4th Qtr, October 2006.
*Bilmes, Linda and W. Scott Gould. "New Book Looks at What College Students are Thinking about Government Jobs." Federal Manager Magazine, April 2006.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bilmes, Linda J.
1960 births
Living people
Boston Consulting Group people
Harvard Kennedy School faculty
American management consultants
Harvard Business School alumni
People from San Mateo, California