The Secret Service has an image problem.  Just last year, there was a huge scandal involving prostitutes and a great deal of peculiar behavior among the people designated to protect the president.   This led to a series of concerns among those who were worried that the group was not adequately equipped to protect the Commander-in-Chief.

These problems may have played a role in the decision by President Barack Obama to select Julia A. Pierson to lead the organization.  Pierson was formerly a member of the Miami and Orlando offices for the Secret Service, and is currently the group’s chief of staff.

The prostitution scandal involving the Secret Service consisted of an incident where the men brought women to their.  As a result, eight people were forced to resign and the agency’s reputation was tarnished.

Pierson is going to be the head of 150 offices throughout the US and abroad.   The Secret Service doesn’t just protect the president; they also protect foreign dignitaries and major events.

“Julia is eminently qualified to lead the agency that not only safeguards Americans at major events and secures our financial system, but also protects our leaders and our first families, including my own,” Obama said.

Pierson is the first woman to head a national security agency.  The president has been heavily criticized for excluding women and minorities from key appointments.

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