Photo courtesy of Suffolk.

Boston-based construction giant Suffolk tapped former General Electric Vice President Ann Klee as its new executive vice president Monday.

Klee will be a prominent public face for the company, heading up its national business development efforts, plus external and government relations, the company said in a statement. Her main goal will be to help the firm expand its presence nationally.

“Building relationships and trust with clients, communities and government is critical to long-term success in our industry, so I am thrilled Ann has joined the Suffolk family,” Suffolk Chairman and CEO John Fish said in a statement. “Ann’s proven ability to build relationships, bring people together, solve complex challenges and push the boundaries of what is possible will help expand our presence in new markets, attract the best new talent and cement our reputation as an industry disruptor.”

At GE, Klee wore several hats: leading its headquarters search and move to Boston, as president of the GE Foundation and vice president of environment, health and safety.

“I’m excited to be joining Suffolk as it transforms the construction industry. It’s the perfect opportunity to use my private and public sector experience to work with a great leadership team to help achieve John Fish’s transformational vision of a wing-to-wing platform that meets our clients’ needs,” Klee said in a statement.

Before GE, Klee was a prominent environmental lawyer at a pair of Washington D.C. firms, and held senior staff roles in Congress and the George W. Bush administration.