Encore Boston Harbor chief Bob DeSalvio is out less than five months after the huge Everett casino opened.

Wynn Resorts, which owns the casino, said in a news release that DeSalvio is “stepping down” and will be replaced by Brian Gullbrants, a former top Ritz-Carlton executive who’s been running food and beverage at Encore’s luxury hotel.

Wynn Resorts credited DeSalvio with overseeing a successful opening after a years-long, high-stakes process — one that was often fraught with controversy leading up to the June opening.

Wynn CEO Matt Maddox said in a statement, “Bob DeSalvio’s ability to partner with community leaders and elected officials, assemble a world-class team and lead them to produce and launch a project of the highest quality is remarkable. His unique talent to both manage a complicated construction process while listening to the needs of key stakeholders was essential to our success.”

Wynn Resorts officials said it was DeSalvio’s choice to cash out.

DeSalvio, who previously oversaw the opening of a casino in Bethlehem, Pa., has been in charge of getting the Encore open for the past five years. The Encore is the priciest private project in the history of Massachusetts, at $2.6 billion.

Wynn also announced that pending regulatory approval, the gleaming golden casino will add more executive staff, including Jenny Holaday as executive vice president of operations and Eric Kraus as senior vice president of communications and public affairs.

The news release said Gullbrants, as the food and drinks head, has worked at Encore since before it opened. He previously was a high-up at Wynn Resorts, overseeing both of its Las Vegas properties.

The glitzy resort and casino’s opening along the banks of the Mystic was imperiled for more than a year after dozens of women accused former CEO Steve Wynn of sexual misconduct. The company Wynn had founded cut ties with him and even scratched his name off of what originally was to be the Wynn Boston Harbor — though the big “Encore” at the top of the gold-hued tower is still in his handwriting. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission decided this spring, mere weeks before the scheduled opening, to allow the casino to keep its license and open in June following a year’s investigation.

But the Gaming Commission hammered the company with a $35 million fine and put further policies in place regarding reporting of sexual assaults.

A bevy of lawsuits from Wynn himself and competing casino owners all had to be worked out before the June opening, which drew thousands of people to wait in a huge line. The casino brought in about $2 million a day for the first week and has made around $50 million each of the past two months.

On Tuesday, Nevada gaming regulators began a push to ban Steve Wynn from ever operating in the Silver State again.