Melrose Welcomes New Veterans Service Officer

Ryan McLane has been appointed the new by Mayor Rob Dolan and the Melrose Veteran Services Advisory Board. McLane, who previously worked in the Boston Regional Veterans Affairs office, will officially start on Monday, Sept. 12.

Currently a staff sergeant in the Massachusetts Army National Guard, McLane serves as a combat medic and Medical Platoon Sergeant for the 1-101 Field Artillery Regiment. He has had tours of duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and has received, among other commendations, the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement as an Afghan National Police Mentor Team squad leader last year. This coming November will be his ninth year as a member of the National Guard.

McLane, who has always had a passion for public policy, felt he needed to serve.

“I felt like I needed to understand what it meant to serve,” he said. “It’s changed my life.”

McLane holds a bachelor's degree in history from Stonehill College and has a master's in public administration from Norwich University. His master's thesis focused on employment preferences for National Guard and Reserve soldiers as it pertains to federal employment preferences.

Currently, McLane is enrolled at University of Massachusetts Boston to obtain a doctorate from the university's public policy program. His studies focus on veteran benefits delivery at the local and state level, with specific concentrations on disability, employment and homelessness prevention.

“McLane’s unique education, military, and veteran affairs background made him the ideal candidate for this position,” said Bob Driscoll, chairman of the Melrose Veterans Advisory Board.

McLane takes over the office from the city's previous veterans services officer, Natalee Webb, due to medical issues that require ongoing treatment. Webb was hired in June 2009 at a starting salary of $43,901. According to Marianne Long, Melrose human resources director, McLane's starting salary will be $56,060.

“Webb helped broaden the scope of this office,” Driscoll said. “With the ideas McLane has, we hope he can raise it to a whole new level.”

“This is a difficult time for military personnel,” McLane said. “You come home from deployment, try to find a job, and, by the time you’re settled, you get deployed again. I want to build on what’s already been done by using modern technology to create a community of veterans that is easier to for to for support.”

Retired Veterans Administrator Bill Leamy will serve as the city's veterans service officer in the interim until McLane officially takes the position next month. For those interested in meeting McLane, he will be at the veterans’ booth at the Melrose Victorian Fair on Sunday, Sept. 11.