Stephanie Mathews O'Keefe, who stepped down in February as chief communications officer of wireless industry trade group CTIA, has been named CEO of the International Women's Forum, the women's networking group.
IWF, born in New York in 1974 by the civic leader and child advocate Elly Guggenheimer, aims to connect preeminent women "of significant and diverse achievement" around the world to provide a forum to exchange ideas and experiences. The group claims 6,400 women leaders in 34 countries and 75 affiliates. Its board includes prominent women in business and politics from the US, Egypt, Jordan, Canada, Mexico and Germany, among other countries.
O'Keefe previously led communications for the American Bankers Association, the Export Import Bank of the United States, and the Local Initiatives Support Corp. She worked on the agency side as a principal for the Podesta Group.
She follows Marilyn Johnson as CEO of the Forum.
The appointment comes as the IWF prepares for its annual leadership conference Sept. 28-30 in Chicago.
CTIA in June tapped Live Nation senior VP Becky Relic to lead communications and public affairs.
Correction: An earlier version of this article confused the International Women's Forum with the conservative Independent Women's Forum.
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