Obama to name woman Secret Service chief US President Barack Obama plans to name Julia Pierson as the first female chief of the Secret Service, which saw its name sullied by a prostitution scandal in Colombia last year. A US official confirmed the appointment, which was expected to be made official later on Tuesday. Pierson has worked for the agency, which protects the president and his family and investigates currency counterfeiting and fraud, for 30 years. The elite agency last year scrambled to contain fallout from the mid-April affair which involved prostitutes and its agents in the Colombian city of Cartagena, where Obama attended the Summit of the Americas. More than two dozen Secret Service agents and military personnel, tasked with preparing security for Obama's high-profile visit, were sent home as a result. Eight Secret Service agents left the agency over the incident. Outgoing Secret Service chief Mark Sullivan apologised for the drama, which prompted the agency to change some of its rules. The goings-on in Cartagena and subsequent public outcry led to broader questions about the behaviour of Secret Service agents, especially those sent to a country weeks before Obama's arrival to prepare for his visits.