Lesa Vanotti has started her tenure as Torrington Savings Bank’s president and CEO following the retirement of CEO John E. Janco Sr.

Vanotti became president and chief operating officer in January as part of a nine-month CEO transition plan to succeed Janco, who has been president and CEO since 2015, the bank said in a statement. Janco retired on Sept. 30.

“As John and I complete our transition and I take the helm, I am humbled by the 152-year legacy built by my predecessors,” Vanotti said in a statement. “I am honored by the trust placed in me by the Board of Trustees and I look forward to continuing to build and execute our plan for the future. John has been a supportive colleague and mentor, and, while I will miss his day to day guidance, I wish him a well-deserved, long and healthy retirement. I know he will never truly be absent from the TSB or Torrington community landscape.”

“Lesa is well prepared to be the 14th President & CEO of Torrington Savings Bank,” Janco said. “She has a thorough understanding of our business strategies. I look forward to Lesa leading our organization through the ever-changing banking environment.”

Vanotti joined Torrington Savings Bank as an accounting assistant in 1996. Her roles have included accounting officer, assistant treasurer, vice president and controller and treasurer and CFO.

“The board looks forward to working with Lesa to write the next chapter of our history,” said Edwin G. Booth Jr., chairman of the board of trustees. “She is ready for the task, and we are confident she will have much success. The Board of Trustees and Corporators thank John for his 47 years of dedicated service to the Bank.  We all respect his character and work ethic and applaud his community service. We wish him all the best in the coming years.”

Torrington Savings Bank has about $863 million in total assets and offices in Torrington, Burlington, Goshen, Falls Village and New Hartford. A new branch will open next year in Bristol.