The US Secret Service has announced the nomination and almost certain appointment of Julia Pierson to be the organization’s 23rd Director.  She will replace recently-retired former Director Mark Sullivan.

Being the chief executive law enforcement officer of the US Secret Service does not require that she continue to stand in front of doorknobs and be a handcuff jockey, though she has done both throughout her career.  What it does require is that she be a capable, competent leader and administrator .

Julie Pierson is fully professionally prepared to lead the agency with a multimillion dollar budget, thousands of employees, and a reputation tarnished by some male employees who couldn’t keep their zippers zipped when they should.  There have been far too many women in the Secret Service whose knowledge, skills, abilities, and talents were intentionally minimized because of their gender when it came time to be considered for advancement.  No truly professional law enforcement agency can afford to waste its most valuable assets in that way.

President Obama’s intention to appoint Julie Pierson to be the US Secret Service’s 23rd Director is unquestionably a step in the right direction.