Merrikay Lee, president and co-owner of MC Press Online LP has announced plans to retire, according to the company.

Lee, who with partner David Uptmor formed the company in 2001, said she will move on to a faith-based ministry in publishing September 1. Uptmor, publisher of MC Press Online, will assume duties Lee held as company president. Katie Tipton, who recently joined the firm as MC Press Online Book Editor, will handle her responsibilities over the book division.

Lee has served as company president for the past nine years yet during that period found time to oversee the publication of more than 100 high-tech books on a variety of topics from programming to IT management. Perhaps her greatest accomplishment, with Uptmor, was to take a hard-copy magazine format and convert it to a totally online model.

"Merrikay has been extremely creative and seemingly indefatigable in her efforts to guide MC Press Online through the choppy waters of the current recession," said Uptmor. "In making the transition to the new management structure, we continue to come upon tasks and responsibilities Merrikay has been handling that the rest of us have come to take for granted. Needless to say, she will be missed for the work she has shouldered at the company but even more for her expert counsel and loyal friendship to us all," he said.

Under Lee's guidance, MC Press broadened the focus of its book line from titles addressing strictly IBM midrange programming to those including a wider range covering DB2, WebSphere, Rational, AIX, Internet languages, and IT management. With a degree in English from Miami University, a background that includes being both an IBM system engineer and an independent programming contractor, and nearly a decade working in IT management, Lee was perhaps perfectly suited for her job in high-tech publishing. She became enamored with the business in 1988 when she was working for software company CAS. By 1995, she had gone into business for herself as founder of Lee Publishing, a publishing services company where she produced books for various other publishers.

Not surprisingly, Lee still intends to keep her hand in the world of publishing after she leaves MC Press Online but will combine her literary talents with her strong faith. She will serve as director of Curriculum Development for Biblical Education by Extension (BEE), an organization that provides seminary-level Biblical training to pastors and church leaders who live in restricted-access countries and who serve the persecuted church. 

About MC Press Online

MC Press Online is the leading complete information resource for the IBM Power Systems (IBM i, AS/400, iSeries, System i, AIX, and Linux) community. Through its books, Web site, e-newsletters, and other products, MC Press Online delivers hands-on, up-to-the-minute information about Power Systems so users—from programmers to CIOs—can be more productive and better informed. MC Press Online provides information in a variety of formats to suit different needs. It publishes books, electronic publications, multimedia offerings, computer-based training, and Web-based education. Its Web site contains hundreds of technical articles, lots of code, and useful forums hosting discussions on topics related to the IBM midrange field. For more information, visit www.mcpressonline.com.