BATON ROUGE - A City-Parish administrator and retired National Guard leader who served under two governors is leaving his office at City Hall to help Ukrainians during the war. 

According to the Mayor's Office, Chief Administrative Officer Glenn Curtis is taking a leave of absence from his position and is going to work with a non-profit in Ukraine to aide in humanitarian efforts. 

He tells WBRZ he will be getting paid for his work overseas.

“My decision to leave the Mayor and my service in her administration was not an easy choice. We are making great progress together in our mission to make government more efficient for our citizens. However, the needs of the Ukrainian people have compelled me to use my military experience to do what I can for the humanitarian relief effort. I look forward to coming back to Baton Rouge and serving with the Mayor to finish the job we have started,”  CAO Curtis said. 

Curtis says he had no issues with the Mayor that caused him to leave.

"We're friends, and I left [Tuesday] and we are still friends and I plan on us being friends for a long time," Curtis said over the phone.

Curtis, who started in November, is expected to be back in early 2024. In the meantime, former CAO Dr. James Llorens will be resuming his duties in July. 

At least three people were killed and 25 were wounded when Russian missiles hit civilian buildings in an overnight attack in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine, the Associated Press reported.