Obama Appoints 1st Female Secret Service Chief

A sex scandal in Colombia has lead to historic changes at the Secret Service back in the District of Columbia.

FOX News Radio White House Correspondent Mike Majchrowitz reports from the West Wing:

What had been a major embarrassment for the agency that protects the President has lead to an historic first: The President picking Julia Pierson as the next Secret Service Director, becoming the first woman to head the agency.

Her predecessor, Mark Sullivan, retired last month following a scandal involving several of his agents and prostitutes during a Presidential trip to Colombia last April. ?Pierson is a career employee of the Secret Service and was serving as the Chief of Staff.

At the White House, Mike Majchrowitz, FOX News Radio.

READ a statement from President Obama on his intent to appoint Julia Pierson to lead the USSS:

?I am pleased to announce that I will appoint Julia A. Pierson to be the next Director of the United States Secret Service. Over her 30 years of experience with the Secret Service, Julia has consistently exemplified the spirit and dedication the men and women of the service demonstrate every day. A veteran of the Miami and Orlando field offices, where she began her career at the Secret Service, Julia has served as the Deputy Assistant Director of the Office of Protective Operations, Assistant Director of Human Resources and Training, and most recently as the Chief of Staff.? 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. Julia has had an exemplary career, and I know these experiences will guide her as she takes on this new challenge to lead the impressive men and women of this important agency.?