Jill Kelley
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Gilberte "Jill" Khawam Kelley (born June 3, 1975) is a Lebanese-American socialite and advocate that previously served as the honorary ambassador to the U.S. Central Command Coalition, and honorary consul to the Republic of Korea.[1][2]
In 2012, Kelley, a Florida socialite with connections to diplomatic and military circles, issued a complaint to the FBI in May 2012 over a series of anonymous stalking e-mails.[3] The threatening emails were traced to Paula Broadwell, the biographer that had an affair with General David Petraeus. Kelley became a focus of media coverage when her name was leaked (as the victim) of the FBI investigation. [4] On June 3, 2013, Kelley filed a privacy lawsuit against the federal government alleging government officials violated her privacy rights by maliciously leaking her name and unlawfully searching her personal email communications with untrue descriptions to the media.[5] In November 2013, Kelley described herself as the "human face" of the damage that can be caused by abusive government probing into personal emails and communications of law abiding citizens.[6] In 2014, she received the support of two U.S. Congressmen to advocate for stronger privacy rights using her story to "bring awareness to the damages that can be caused by government overreach and unwarranted searches of emails [7] [8] so that history will not repeat itself, and this never happens to another innocent family again." [9]
She was named by the New York Times "An Apostle for Privacy".[10]
Personal life
Kelley was born in Beirut, Lebanon[11] on June 3, 1975. As the Honorary Ambassador to United States Central Command's Coalition Forces, Kelley is known to be someone with 'connective tissue' to the diplomatic world.[12] Diplomats used Kelley's connections with Central Command senior generals to secure briefings for visiting foreign dignitaries.[13]Kelley was a regular on the DC diplomatic circuit and frequently attended embassy events.[14] She was known to be the go-between for Lebanese and other middle eastern government officials. She was active with dignitaries from the region and invited to functions at various embassies in Washington.[14]
In March 2011, she received the Joint Chiefs of Staff Award for public service for "building positive relationships between the military and the Tampa community".[15]
Family and marriage
In 1999, Kelley married cancer surgeon Dr. Scott Kelley. Dr. Kelley completed his undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College, attended Columbia University Medical School,[2] and completed surgical residency at the University of Pennsylvania.[16] They live with their three children in Tampa, Florida. Her family includes her identical twin sister,Natalie Khawam;[17] a brother, David Khawam; and sister, Caroline.[18] Jill's parents[19] are Lebanese Maronite Catholics who immigrated to the United States from Jounieh, Lebanon in the mid-1970s.[20] Kelley lived in the Philadelphia area until her mid-20s.[21] She studied to be a doctor and she researched and published medical research at the University of Pennsylvania, in addition to medical course work at Hahnemann Hospital.[22] Jill Kelley put her medical studies on hold at one point to have a baby.
