With so much going on in Washington lately, from the sequester to gun control legislation to immigration reform, you may have missed the news that, for the first time in the agency’s nearly 150-year history, the Secret Service is being run by a woman.
Julia Pierson, 53, took over the top job at the Secret Service in late March. She steps in at an important moment. Last year, scandal took hold of the agency that protects the president and his family. More than a dozen agency employees were investigated for an incident involving prostitutes during an advance trip to Columbia. Several agents, including two supervisors, lost their jobs over the incident and new rules on the use of alcohol and curfews on international trips were implemented after the scandal broke.
Much of the reporting about Pierson’s appointment has focused on the scandal and the possibility of breaking up the macho culture of organizations like the Secret Service. Only about one in 10 out of 3,500 agents are women. Will a woman on top mean big changes?
The Road to the Top
When women reach the new heights in their field, it’s exciting, especially in a male-dominated field like security. But it’s important to remember that Pierson’s appointment came after a 30 year career with the agency. She takes over from the previous director, Mark Sullivan, for whom she served as chief of staff prior to his resignation. Pierson has filled nearly every role possible at the Secret Service and has been part of security details for Presidents George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. She was also on the presidential protection team on September 11th.
Pierson has reached the top of her field through hard work and commitment to her career. She spent her entire career working towards this appointment and her achievement is another important milestone in the advancement of women. But this is also the simple story of a person achieving their own goals, irrespective of the larger social issues involved. The fact that her appointment is anything but controversial in a 90% male agency is a powerful symbol itself.
Change from Within
The success of a leader is largely defined by the success of an organization. Though the Secret Service’s responsibilities expand beyond protection of the president, the agency is also charged with investigating counterfeiting and fraud, its success or failure is very simply defined by keeping the President and his family safe. According to policy, the Secret Service does not discuss threats levied against the president. Because of this, it is impossible to know just how hard the agency is working to keep President Obama safe. No news is good news for the Secret Service. And while there have been reports of the organization investigating possible threats, there have been no reported attempts on the President’s life during his time in office.
Because of that secrecy, though, the only glimpses of the inner workings of the agency are through incidents like Columbia. Former agents and journalists who have written about the Secret Service in the past maintain that the prostitution scandal was an isolated incident and those involved were not part of the President’s protection detail. Jeffrey Robinson, journalist and co-author of Standing Next to History: An Agent’s Life Inside the Secret Service, has said, however, that the excuse “boys will be boys” will no longer work with a woman in charge.
What could and should change with Pierson at the helm is the number of women working for the agency. With women representing only 10% of agents, there is a long way to go before parity is reached. But with a woman on top, perhaps more will follow now that it’s clear that, at this agency, being a woman won’t hold you back.
