Wayne Savings in Ohio finally taps permanent CEO

Wayne Savings Bancshares in Wooster, Ohio, has its third CEO in less than a year.

The $449 million-asset company disclosed in a regulatory filing Tuesday that it had also named James VanSickle as its president. He succeeded David Lehman, who had been interim president and CEO since December.

Lehman will remain a Wayne Savings employee through end of the year “to offer transition assistance,” the filing said. He will also remain on the company’s board.

Lehman became interim CEO after Stewart Fitz Gibbon abruptly resigned.

After Fitz Gibbon’s departure, activist investor Stillwell Group began pressuring the company to sell itself. An effort by Stilwell earlier this year to gain a board seat board failed.

VanSickle previously served as chief risk officer at Farmers National Bank in Canfield, Ohio. He was the chief financial officer at National Bancshares when that company was sold to Farmers.