Julia Pierson first woman to lead US Secret Service

Pierson,the chief of staff to Mark J Sullivan,who retired as director last month,will take over at a time when the Secret Service is still recovering from a prostitution scandal last year.

The appointment represented a milestone for law enforcement,putting a woman at the top of an agency with a storied past and a Hollywood-fueled image of Clint Eastwood-style men with sunglasses and earpieces stoically guarding the commander in chief at home and abroad.

With 30 years of experience in the Secret Service,Pierson,53,boasts a résumé much like those of her predecessors,including a stint on the first President George Bush’s protective detail. But the timing of her selection inevitably means that Washington will be watching closely to see how or if she changes a male-driven culture that came under harsh scrutiny when agents were caught employing prostitutes in Colombia before Obama arrived for a visit.

“During the Colombia prostitution scandal,the Secret Service lost the trust of many Americans,” Senator Charles E Grassley,Republican of Iowa. “I hope she succeeds in restoring lost credibility in the Secret Service.”

In a statement,Obama said Pierson “exemplified the spirit and dedication” of the agency.