Julia Curlee is a former CIA officer who also worked inside the White House. Many people search for Julia Curlee Wikipedia to learn who she is and why her name is in the news. This guide gives you the facts in simple words and tells you clearly what is not public.
Who Is Julia Curlee and Why Does She Matter?
Julia Curlee is an American intelligence officer who spent nearly two decades at the CIA. She joined in 2007. She later served as a director on the National Security Council, a team that helps the president with safety and world affairs. She also gave daily intelligence briefings to Vice President Mike Pence.
In 2013, she became the first CIA officer to transition openly and keep working at the agency. She is a transgender woman. In August 2026, she wrote an essay for The Atlantic called The Wrong Kind of American. In it, she shared her story and explained how her White House job ended.
Why people look her up: Her life joins national security, politics, and job rights in one story. That is why her Wikipedia page, her essay, and her interviews all got attention in late summer 2026.
| Quick Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Julia Curlee |
| Known For | Former CIA officer and National Security Council director |
| Grew Up In | Hawaii |
| Joined the CIA | 2007 |
| Education | Master’s degrees from the National War College and American University |
| Current Role | Public service fellow at Lawfare |
| Famous Essay | The Wrong Kind of American (August 2026) |
Julia Curlee Current Status (As of October 19, 2026)
As of October 19, 2026, Julia Curlee is a public service fellow at Lawfare, a nonprofit site that covers national security. She no longer works at the CIA. AFP reported that she went back to the agency for less than a year after leaving the White House, then resigned.
Her biggest public moment came in August 2026. She published her Atlantic essay on August 17. She spoke with PBS NewsHour a few days later, and she joined a Bulwark podcast on August 29. Her Lawfare page describes her as a former CIA analyst with 25 years in national security.
Heads up: The newest sources we could confirm date from late August and early September 2026. Check her Lawfare page for anything newer.
Important Dates
| When | What Happened |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Joined the CIA |
| 2013 | Became the first CIA officer to transition openly and keep serving |
| 2017 | Joined the National Security Council |
| Last year of Trump’s first term | Briefed Vice President Mike Pence |
| Biden years | Served as a director at the National Security Council |
| 2025 | Removed from her White House post, according to her Wikipedia page |
| August 2026 | Published The Wrong Kind of American in The Atlantic |
What to Know About Julia Curlee
Early Life and Family Background
Julia Curlee grew up in Hawaii. She is the granddaughter of an immigrant. She has said she dreamed of being an intelligence officer since she was a child. Her exact birth date and birthplace have not been shared in public reports.
Career
Curlee joined the CIA in 2007. She worked in war zones and traveled to 35 countries. Her Lawfare profile says she did tours in the Middle East and South Asia, and she also served in the CIA China Mission Center.
In 2013, she transitioned openly while staying at the agency. In 2017, she joined the National Security Council. That same year she wrote an Atlantic essay under the pen name Jenny Hall. In the last year of Donald Trump’s first term, she briefed Vice President Pence. Under President Joe Biden, she was a director at the National Security Council. When Trump returned to office, she stayed on as a senior career intelligence official until she was removed.
Reports say her removal came right after a post about her by Laura Loomer on X. Curlee later told her side in The Atlantic.
Age
Her exact birth date has not been published. AFP described her in August 2026 as being in her mid forties. We will not guess a number.
Religion
Curlee has not shared her religion in the sources we found, so nothing is listed here.
Wife/Husband
She has described herself as a wife and a mother. Her spouse’s name is not public, and we will not guess it.
Net Worth
No verified net worth exists for Julia Curlee. She is a former government employee and now a fellow at a nonprofit, and no trusted source gives a real number. Be careful with sites that show a made up figure.
Parents
Her parents’ names are not public. The Advocate reported that her family visited the White House when her briefing job ended. There, Pence told her mother she must be proud of her daughter.
Height
Her height has not been published.
Education
Curlee earned one master’s degree from the National War College and another from American University. The school where she earned her first degree is not listed in the sources we found.
State Of Origin
She grew up in Hawaii. Reports do not name her birthplace, so Hawaii is where she was raised, not a confirmed place of birth.
Social Media and Official Links
We only list pages we could confirm.
- Julia Curlee at Lawfare
- Julia Curlee author page at Foreign Policy
- The Wrong Kind of American in The Atlantic
- Julia Curlee on Wikipedia
Known and Not Public at a Glance
| Topic | Status |
|---|---|
| Exact age | Not published |
| Birthplace | Not published |
| Spouse name | Not public |
| Religion | Not shared |
| Height | Not published |
| Net worth | Not verified |
| Education | Two master’s degrees |
| Current job | Lawfare fellow |
Frequently Asked Questions About Julia Curlee
Who is Julia Curlee?
Julia Curlee is an American former CIA officer. She joined the agency in 2007, served on the National Security Council, and briefed Vice President Mike Pence. She is now a public service fellow at Lawfare.
Does Julia Curlee have a Wikipedia page?
Yes. Her Wikipedia page calls her an American former intelligence officer with the CIA. It covers her education, her career, her removal from the White House, and her August 2026 essay in The Atlantic.
What did Julia Curlee do at the White House?
She worked as a director on the National Security Council under President Biden and in the second Trump White House. Earlier, she gave daily intelligence briefings to Vice President Pence during the last year of Trump’s first term.
How old is Julia Curlee?
Her exact age is not public. AFP described her in August 2026 as being in her mid forties. No trusted source lists her birth date.
Is Julia Curlee married?
She has described herself as a wife and a mother. She has not made her spouse’s name public.
What is Julia Curlee’s net worth?
Her net worth has not been verified anywhere. She has worked in government and is now a nonprofit fellow, so no real figure is available.
Where does Julia Curlee work now?
She is a public service fellow at Lawfare, a nonprofit publication that covers national security. She has left the CIA after about two decades of service.
What is The Wrong Kind of American?
It is the essay Julia Curlee published in The Atlantic on August 17, 2026. In it, she describes her career, her White House work, and how it ended after her identity became widely known.
Final Word
Julia Curlee built a long career in the CIA and the White House. She worked in hard places, briefed top leaders, and became the first CIA officer to transition openly and keep serving. Those are the facts that make her Wikipedia page one of the most searched pages about her.
Her story is also about more than one person. It touches on how workers are treated, how politics can
