Investment bank the Cowen Group has hired Julie Levenson as managing director and head of the firm's private equity group.

Over the course of 20 years in investment banking, Levenson has completed more than 75 financing transactions, representing over $3.5 billion in financing volume, with clients that have included Silicon Graphics, Leap Frog Enterprises, Procom Technology and Aecom Technology, among others.

In her new role at Cowen, she will be based in the firm’s San Francisco office and report to Jonathan Biele, head of Cowen's capital markets group.

Levenson joins Cowen from Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin, where she was a managing director leading the firm's private equity and PIPEs placement effort. Prior to joining Houlihan Lokey, Levenson was a senior managing director in the strategic finance group at Bear Stearns and head of the firm's private placement group.