Jill Kelley

For other people with similar names, see Jill Kelly (disambiguation).

Jill Kelley
Jill Kelley
Born
Jill Gilberte Khawam

(1975-06-03) June 3, 1975 (age 49)
Beirut, Lebanon
CitizenshipAmerican
Occupations
  • Activist
  • philanthropist
  • diplomatic advisor
Spouse
Scott Kelley
​
(m. 1999)​
Children3[1]
Websitejillkelley.com

Jill Kelley is a Lebanese-American philanthropist, activist, and diplomatic advisor.[2][3][4][5] She is also a former South Korean Honorary Consul,[6][7] and a former honorary ambassador to U.S. Central Command under General James N. Mattis.[8][2] She was an advisor to CIA-Director David Petraeus. She is president and founder of ”Military Diplomacy Strategies", an international advisory firm that advises embassies and multi-national companies to foster military and economic partnerships.[9][10][11]

Biography

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Jill Kelley was born Gilberte Khawam on June 3, 1975 in Beirut, Lebanon to Syrian parents.[12][13][1] Her identical twin sister is Natalie Khawam, a Washington, D.C. lawyer.[13][14] She grew up near Philadelphia, and was known as Gigi.[13] She has an older sister and a younger brother.[13]

Her parents immigrated to the United States in 1976 and opened a Middle Eastern restaurant in Voorhees, New Jersey in 1988.[13] Jill graduated from Lower Moreland High School in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania in 1993. She then worked with a physician as a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania. She met Scott Kelley, a cancer surgeon, and the two married in 1998.[13] The couple has three children.[1]

Since the early 2000s, Kelley and her husband have been known for their lavish parties, with guest lists including military leaders and other dignitaries.[14][9][13] Their parties in the Tampa area include bashes for the Gasparilla Pirate Festival.[13][15] These include parties at their house in Tampa, and various events in Washington, D.C.[14][9][13]

In 2021, Kelley was invited to serve as the Executive Director on the Board of Directors of Ionic Rare Earth, a publicly traded company specializing in rare earth heavy magnets and mining. The board expressed confidence that her appointment would greatly strengthen key relationships with global organizations, citing her extensive experience in high-level international leadership roles and her history of engaging with royals, presidents, prime ministers, and parliamentarians to advance military, security, and economic partnerships.[16][17]

She also speaks Arabic.[18]

Career

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In 2007, she founded the Doctor Kelley Cancer Foundation along with her husband and sister.[1] The foundation's mission was "to conduct cancer research and to grant wishes to terminally ill adult cancer patients."[19] The charity ceased operations in 2006 and was reinstated in 2015.[13][20][21] Later, Kelley and her husband, Scott Kelley, started Kelley Land Holdings, a property company.[1] In 2012, Kelley held the informal title of Honorary Consul to South Korea and served as Honorary Ambassador to U.S. Central Command in Tampa. Kelley runs an advisory firm called Military Diplomacy Strategies LLC and is a founder of SafeGuard Surgical, a medical technology company, as well as EdentifID, a blockchain technology company.[9][10][11]

Philanthropy

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During President Biden's first Thanksgiving visit to Nantucket Island in 2021, Jill and Scott Kelley opened up their Nantucket compound to serve  a holiday meal to nearly 150 State Troopers and Secret Service agents left out of Thanksgiving plans due to a scheduling error.[22] The Kelleys have since continued the tradition of hosting POTUS security team every holiday that the president visited Nantucket Island.[23]

Petraeus scandal

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Jill and Scott Kelley met General David Petraeus when he was transferred to MacDill Air Force Base in November 2008. They quickly became friends, and had frequent dinner parties together. Through the Petraeuses, the Kelleys became close to other senior military personnel, including John R. Allen and Robert Harward.[13] In 2012, Kelley filed a complaint to the FBI that she was being harassed over email. The ensuing investigation uncovered that General Petraeus was having an extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, and that Broadwell had authored the emails to Kelley.[1]

On June 3, 2013, Kelley filed a privacy lawsuit against the federal government alleging that investigators violated her privacy rights by unlawfully searching her personal emails and disclosing false descriptions of the nature of them to the media.[24] In addition, she stated "false and untrue headlines created a media sideshow" at her expense, including her being wrongfully implicated in the extramarital affair between Petraeus and Broadwell.[25]

In 2016, Kelley published a memoir about her role in the Petraeus scandal.[15]

Recognition and Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Bengali, Shashank; Cloud, David S.; Tanfani, Joseph (November 14, 2012). "Jill Kelley, key figure in David Petraeus scandal, led lavish life". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e "Jill Kelley--Remember Her?--Plans a Party Wednesday at the Trump Hotel". Washingtonian. November 8, 2017. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  3. ^ "'Bullying': Petraeus friend Jill Kelley professors who pronounced wife uglier than mistress". Washington Examiner. December 19, 2019. Archived from the original on June 3, 2022. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  4. ^ Tweedie, Elisabeth (December 15, 2018). "Developments in the 5G Ecosystem". satellitemarkets.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  5. ^ Ashley Fantz (October 20, 2020). "The Petraeus Affair: Who is Jill Kelley?". CNN Digital. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Clinton advisor bashed Jill Kelley in newly released emails". December 1, 2015. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  7. ^ a b Altman, Howard (April 21, 2018). "Clinton advisor bashed Jill Kelley in newly released emails | tbo.com". Archived from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Jill Kelley e-mails depict a striving Tampa socialite and a smitten military brass. Archived April 6, 2023, at the Wayback Machine The Washington Post. Craig Whitlock, February 3, 2015.
  9. ^ a b c d e Altman, Howard (December 1, 2015). "Clinton advisor bashed Jill Kelley in newly released emails". The Tampa Tribune. Archived from the original on June 20, 2018.
  10. ^ a b "SafeGuard Surgical Receives FDA "Breakthrough" Designation, Secures Funding from Tom Pepin and NFL QB Jameis Winston". Yahoo! Finance. March 14, 2024. Archived from the original on June 29, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024. Jill Kelley, COO and co-founder of SafeGuard Surgical...
  11. ^ a b "Digital ID | EdentifID". EdentifID.com. Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  12. ^ "Jill Kelley, Medical Practice". jillkelley.net. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved June 19, 2024. Jill Kelley (born June 3, 1975) is an active humanitarian, dedicated to efforts both in the United States and around the world.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Ward, Vicky (November 29, 2016). "The Bizarre Scandal That Brought Down General David Petraeus". Town & Country Magazine. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Whitlock, Craig (February 3, 2015). "Jill Kelley e-mails depict a striving Tampa socialite and a smitten military brass". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2024. At left is Jill's twin, Natalie Khawam.
  15. ^ a b Joyce, Dennis (January 26, 2009). "Live coverage: Gasparilla parade and pirate invasion". Archived from the original on January 29, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Assay (July 8, 2021). "Ionic Rare Earths Add Diplomat And Multi-National Military Negotiator To Its Board". The Assay. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  17. ^ Arnoldi, Marleny. "Ionic makes strategic directorship appointment". Mining Weekly. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Plott, Elaina (November 8, 2017). "Jill Kelley Plans A Party Wednesday at the Trump Hotel to Celebrate Donald Trump's Victory". The Washingtonian. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  19. ^ "Doctor Kelley Cancer Foundation Inc". GuideStar. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  20. ^ Schmidt, Michael S.; Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (November 13, 2012). "Tampa Is Seen as Social Link for Unfolding Scandal". The New York Times.
  21. ^ "Detail by FEI/EIN Number". sunbiz.org. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  22. ^ "Volunteers, Faregrounds serve Secret Service, State Troopers Thanksgiving dinner". The Inquirer and Mirror. November 25, 2021. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  23. ^ "Serving presidential security has become a labor of love". The Inquirer and Mirror. December 9, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  24. ^ "Scott and Jill Kelley's legal case persists long after the Gen. David Petraeus scandal". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  25. ^ "Woman in Petraeus Matter Files Lawsuit - WSJ.com". WSJ. January 16, 2014. Archived from the original on January 16, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
  26. ^ "Jill Kelley: Tampa woman in Petraeus case has been a hostess to the military - Washington Post". web.archive.org. February 4, 2013. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  27. ^ "Petraeus Scandal: South Korea to Strip Kelley of Honorary Position". ABC News. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  28. ^ "Kelley offered to help USF medical school". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
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