Joe Carlile

Joe Carlile brings over 20 years of federal budget and policy expertise and served in senior positions across the executive and legislative branches. Joe currently serves as a managing director and founder of Bluestem Consulting, an appropriations risk consulting and strategic advisory firm.

Prior to his consulting work, he served as Associate Director for General Government Programs at the White House Office of Management and Budget through January 2025, where he oversaw strategy, operations, and multi-billion-dollar budgets for federal programs across housing, transportation, commerce, justice, and homeland security. In this role, he led formulation and execution of over $350 billion in budgetary resources, directed a team of fifty-four professionals across six branches and two divisions, and secured additional Congressional resources for key operational accounts.

As Senior Advisor to the Secretary for Budget, Policy, and Programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Joe achieved the largest expansion of the Housing Choice Voucher program in decades. He directed implementation of HUD’s American Rescue Plan Act funding, obligating 75 percent within three months, and guided strategic initiatives in disaster recovery and broadband access expansion.

During his tenure as Clerk for the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, HUD, and Related Agencies, Joe managed a staff of seven overseeing more than $75 billion in discretionary federal resources across two Cabinet-level agencies and eight independent agencies. He formulated and negotiated critical disaster response and coronavirus relief supplemental appropriations, drafted legislation for committee and floor consideration, and represented the House Democratic Caucus in conference negotiations.

Joe also served as a Board Member for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), providing strategic oversight for a national public-private partnership serving over 5.5 million devices supporting first responders. He served on the Finance and Investment Committee, directing annual investment and operating budget allocations and overseeing multi-billion-dollar network recapitalization initiatives.

Joe holds a Master of Arts in Applied Economics from The Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Gustavus Adolphus College.