AMHERST — Amherst’s human resources director, on the job since March 2019 after serving in a similar role for Chicopee, is returning to that city to oversee human resources for its public school system.
Evelyn Rivera-Riffenburg, who had handled functions including recruitment, employment policies and labor relations, was expected to be formally hired by the Chicopee School Committee at its June 17 meeting, based on an agenda for that meeting.
Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman praised Rivera-Riffenburg, of Holyoke, for accomplishments during her tenure of just over a year.
“We were fortunate to have Evelyn on the town’s staff during her relatively brief time here,” Bockelman said. “She had a real impact on our operations and I appreciated her clarity of vision and leadership abilities.”
Among the high-profile hirings that occurred over the past year were the July 2019 hiring of Mary Beth Ogulewicz as the director of senior services, the January naming of Elizabeth Duffy as principal assessor and the April appointment of Sean Mangano as town finance director.
Bockelman said the next human resources director will continue efforts at recruitment and bringing day-to-day operations to the next level, including creating a workforce that more clearly reflects Amherst’s diversity, and providing opportunities for advancement at all levels.
“It is a big, important job,” Bockelman said. “We are looking for someone eager to take on this challenge”
The advertisement for the position states that the director is responsible for developing, managing and enforcing policies and procedures that will ensure the town is compliant with all laws and that Amherst continues to strive to be the “employer of choice” in the region by offering competitive salaries, good benefits and working conditions, and highly qualified and trained staff.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
