AUBURN — Mechanics Savings Bank announces that Jane Norris will be retiring from its Board of Directors after more than 61 years of service to the bank. Her retirement will be effective Dec. 31.

Norris first joined the board in 1969, serving as vice chairperson from 1982 to 2007 and chairperson from 2007 to 2008. Most recently, she has been a member of the Board Contributions/CRA Committee, Audit Committee, Governance & Compensation Committee and Investment Committee.

She began her career with Mechanics Savings Bank as a teller in 1950. She went on to serve as a loan officer, operations officer and vice president before being appointed CEO in 1979. In 1982, she became the first woman in Maine to be named a bank president. She served as president and CEO until her retirement in 1989.

Norris graduated from Bates College with a bachelor’s degree in economics. Throughout her career she has served on a number of local boards of directors, including Bates College, Central Maine Medical Center, Central Maine Community College, Center for Financial Studies and Patron’s Oxford Mutual Insurance Company (predecessor of Patron’s Oxford Insurance Company), among others.

She is a resident of Auburn.