Florence Bank Announces New Branch Manager for King Street Branch in Northampton
Vice president / area manager/ branch manager Lee McCarthy set to retire
FLORENCE— Florence Bank announced that vice president and branch manager Jessica Wales of South Hadley has been named manager of the bank’s King Street branch in Northampton.
Wales will replace Lee McCarthy, who is retiring in April after serving as manager of the King Street branch for 18 years and area manager for the bank since 2018.
Since 2020, Wales has served as manager of the Granby branch. She has 26 years of banking experience and previously worked for Florence Bank for 11 years from 2000 to 2011.
Wales holds a bachelor’s degree in management from Ashworth College and is a graduate of the New England School for Financial Studies.
Active in the community, she is a board member and member of the Finance Committee for United Way of Franklin & Hampshire Region, and a committee member for Western Mass Women’s Business Network and Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s Golf FORE Health Tournament. She is also an ambassador for the Greater Northampton Chamber of Commerce.
A member of the class of 2014 for BusinessWest’s 40 Under Forty, Wales is also a past recipient of the Florence Bank Community Support Award.
McCarthy, of Springfield, worked in the banking industry for 42 years. Hired in 2004 by Florence Bank, she served as branch manager for King Street, beginning in 2004, and in 2018, she also became area manager, overseeing the King Street, Williamsburg, downtown Northampton, and Easthampton branches.
For 16 years, McCarthy served on United Way’s Community Investment Committee.
“We wish Lee the best as she moves closer to retirement, and we are pleased to welcome Jessica to the King Street branch,” said Shelley Daughdrill, retail banking director / senior vice president of Retail Administration. “Jessica has proven herself as a leader, and her experience will make for a smooth transition.”
About Florence Bank
Florence Bank is a mutual savings bank chartered in 1873. Currently, the bank serves the Pioneer Valley through 12 full-service branch locations in Florence, Northampton, Easthampton, Williamsburg, Amherst, Hadley, Belchertown, Granby, Chicopee, West Springfield, and Springfield. Additionally, it offers 25 ATMs and a wide range of financial services, including investment management through FSB Financial Group (FSBFG) to consumers and businesses. Florence Bank is consistently voted best local bank by the readers of the Valley Advocate.
