The American Bankers Association will have a new PR face in September as the trade group for the $13 trillion banking industry replaces 20-year veteran Ginny Dean.

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The Podesta Group’s Stephanie Matthews O’Keefe will take over as executive VP of communications for the Washington, D.C.-based group on Sept. 6.

ABA president and CEO Frank Keating said the group is fortunate to recruit the former investment banker “at such a critical time for the banking industry.”

O’Keefe has been a principal and director of business development for the past year at Podesta, which she joined in 2010 after a year as senior VP/comms. for the Export Import Bank of the U.S.

Her longest tenure has been with the non-profit development group Local Intitiatives Support Corp., where she stepped down in 2009 as senior VP, external affairs, after 15 years. She was also an investment banker at Credit Suisse First Boston.

A West Virginia native, O’Keefe was state director for the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign.

ABA represents the $13 trillion banking industry.