The promotion was announced by Mark Macomber, president and chief executive officer, and Tom Villanova, executive vice president. According to Macomber and Villanova, McLaughlin has been exceptional in his role as vice president and retail sales manager, marketing officer, commercial loan officer, and designated insurance program coordinator.

Macomber and Don Mayland, chairman of Litchfield Bancorp's Board of Directors, both expressed pride in McLaughlin's accomplishments as a homegrown member of the bank's team.

Under McLaughlin's leadership, the staff he has supervised has developed into key members of the Litchfield Bancorp team, according to Macomber and Villanova, who also cited McLaughlin's involvement in the community as a representative of the bank. That involvement includes serving as chairman of the 2008 United Way campaign for Northwest Connecticut.

McLaughlin joined the bank after graduating from Southern Connecticut State University in 1990 with a degree in political science. He has held several positions during his career and is known for his strong commitment to the bank and its customers.

"Over the past 18 years, I have had the privilege of working for Litchfield Bancorp," McLaughlin said. "I have been given so many professional opportunities over those years and they are greatly appreciated. Hopefully, I've helped to make Litchfield Bancorp a better place and I cherish the relationships I've made."

After his initial work as a teller, McLaughlin was promoted to customer service representative and mortgage originator. He was named manager of Litchfield Bancorp's Washington office in 1995 and two years later was promoted to assistant vice president and manager of the Oakville branch.

As he progressed through the ranks, McLaughlin completed coursework at the New England Commercial Lending School and the Connecticut School of Finance and Management. In 2002, he completed a two-year program at the National School of Banking at Fairfield University. The program is the only one of its kind in the country and provides a challenging graduate-level curriculum in banking and finance.

McLaughlin's promotion to vice president for retail banking also came in 2002. In the position, he was responsible for all sales and marketing, including training, product development and customer service for the bank's five-branch network.

In 2005, McLaughlin completed a program at the American Bankers Association's School of Bank Marketing and Management. The program has an industry-wide reputation for excellence and provides bankers with updated marketing and management tools.

A year later, McLaughlin graduated from the National Commercial Lending School program sponsored by America's Community Bankers and was promoted to vice president and senior retail banking and commercial loan officer. In the new position, McLaughlin was responsible for management duties in the Litchfield office and for directing commercial lending in Oakville, where he worked with area businesses to provide credit resources needed for expansion, new equipment or working capital.

McLaughlin is known as an active community volunteer. He serves on the Oliver Wolcott Library's board of trustees and is chairman of the library's annual fund drive; is vice chairman of the United Way campaign for 2009; is on the board of directors of Litchfield Hills Food Systems, a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable agriculture and food education; and has been co-chairman of the Northwest Connecticut Chamber of Commerce leadership development program for three years.

McLaughlin is Litchfield Bancorp’s representative to the Litchfield Area Business Association and the Litchfield-Morris Rotary Club. He also coaches his son and daughter’s basketball team. McLaughlin and his wife, Paula, and their three children live in Torrington.