By KENNEDY GRIFFIN
(Greenfield, MA) Greenfield Mayor Roxann Wedegartner has named Christopher Demars to lead the Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans’ Services District. Demars, a retired Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army who served two tours in Afghanistan and is currently the district’s deputy director since February of 2020, will begin this new role on November 14th.
Demars will be taking over for Timothy Niejadlik, who is retiring after nine years in the post. Before becoming the director of the Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans’ Services, Niejadlik was the director of the veteran services in Holyoke and retired from the U.S. Army as an officer who had earned a Bronze Star in the Iraq war.
Demars said, “I’d like to thank Mayor Wedegartner and the City of Greenfield for entrusting me with this important role. Though the leadership in the district is changing, our commitment to veterans is unwavering. Our team remains ready to help veterans access the benefits they earned in defense of our country, both at our referral center in Greenfield and at satellite locations throughout the upper Pioneer Valley.”
The Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans’ Services District serves Greenfield and 25 other communities in the region. It advocates for veterans, their spouses, dependents and widows or widowers for Veterans’ Benefits on the local, state and federal levels.