Paula Broadwell Paula Dean Broadwell ( née Kranz ; born November 9 , 1972 ) is an American writer , academic , and former military officer . She is the co - author with Vernon Loeb of " " , a biography of then International Security Assistance Force commander David Petraeus . On November 9 , 2012 , she was reported to have been involved in an extramarital affair with Petraeus that triggered his resignation as Director of the CIA when it was discovered by the . Early life and education . Born and raised as Paula Kranz in Bismarck , North Dakota , she attended Century High School , where she was homecoming queen , valedictorian of the class of 1991 , and an All - State basketball player . Her parents , Paul and Nadene Kranz , divorced when she was a teenager . Paul was a high school basketball coach . In 2006 she was inducted into the Century High school hall of fame . Broadwell graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1995 with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and political geography . She earned a Master of Arts degree in international security from the University of Denver ' s Josef Korbel School of International Studies in 2006 . She earned a Master of Public Administration degree from the John F . Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in 2008 . The Washington Post has reported that Broadwell had earlier ( 2007 ) been asked to withdraw from Harvard ' s Ph . D . program , as her coursework reportedly did not meet the university ' s standards . Broadwell is a Research Associate in the Kennedy School ' s Center for Public Leadership Fellows . In 2008 , she entered the PhD program at Department of War Studies at King ' s College London . Career . Broadwell served in the United States Army and the United States Army Reserve . She was approved for promotion to lieutenant colonel in the Reserves as of August 2012 . In February 2013 it was reported that the Army had revoked Broadwell ' s promotion to lieutenant colonel . She was classified as ineligible for promotion due to being under investigation by the Army for the Petraeus affair scandal . It was also reported that she would not be eligible for promotion until the investigation was fully resolved . Broadwell was Deputy Director of the Jebsen Center for Counter - Terrorism Studies at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University . She also worked with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force . In 2006 , shortly before meeting Petraeus , Broadwell applied for a job with the FBI . A retired FBI agent quoted by The Daily Beast has suggested that the FBI would have been very impressed with her qualifications and experience . The FBI offered her a job , but Broadwell decided instead to go to Harvard University . Broadwell met Petraeus in 2006 when he was a speaker at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University . She was a graduate student at the time . According to the Charlotte Observer , she told him about her research interests after he spoke . He handed her his card and offered his help . She began a doctoral dissertation that included a case study of his leadership , with Petraeus fully cooperating . Broadwell then co - authored a biography of Petraeus , " All In : The Education of General David Petraeus " , with Vernon Loeb that was published in January 2012 . The writer Joshua Foust has challenged the accuracy of Broadwell ' s account of the US destruction of the Afghan village of Khosrow Sofla . Broadwell has also written for the " New York Times " and the " Boston Globe " . Her public speaking engagements have included addressing a group of Republican women in October 2012 organized by the then Colorado House Majority Leader Amy Stephens . In June 2009 and June 2011 Broadwell attended meetings on Afghanistan - Pakistan policy in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building , which is part of the White House complex . Personal life . Marriage and family . Broadwell is married to Dr . Scott Broadwell , an interventional radiologist who graduated from George Washington University School of Medicine in 1996 . They reside in Charlotte , North Carolina , and have two young sons . Scott Broadwell and his future wife Paula Kranz met in 2000 when they were both active duty US Army captains . He was then a physician and commander of the Mannheim military clinic in Germany . Paula Kranz was in military intelligence . They were married in Heidelberg Castle with Lt . Col . Ronald Leininger , a Protestant Army chaplain officiating . Petraeus affair . About May 2012 Jill Kelley began to receive emails that she considered to be threatening and harassing . She contacted the FBI , which traced the emails to Broadwell . The emails reportedly indicated that Broadwell suspected Kelley of starting an affair with General David Petraeus , who was a friend of Kelley ' s . Although the sending of the emails was deemed to be insufficient grounds for a criminal charge , the FBI called Broadwell in for questioning , at which time she admitted to the affair with Petraeus . After Broadwell turned over her computer , classified documents were found , which led to further FBI scrutiny of her relationship with Petraeus . Although Petraeus was not identified as the provider of the documents , the affair was revealed in early November 2012 and was cited by Petraeus as the reason for his resignation on November 9 . When the news of the scandal became public , Paula Broadwell spent time away from her husband and family secluded in Washington D . C . at her brother ' s home while her home in Charlotte , North Carolina was being searched by the FBI . She subsequently returned home to be with her husband and children . The media has taken note of how Scott and Paula Broadwell have tried to get back to normal life . Following the revelations about her relationship with Petraeus , Broadwell has retained the services of former Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers with the public relations firm The Glover Park Group . The founders of The Glover Park Group have previously served as officials in the Clinton White House and on the presidential campaign of former vice president Al Gore . The firm ' s services include public relations , advertising , marketing , government relations and policy counsel , crisis management and opinion research . It was announced December 18 , 2012 , the United States Department of Justice will not charge Broadwell with cyberstalking .