APPI's Longtime CEO Retires

In an era in which people don't plan to spend long spans of time with one employer, Ron McMillen's 35 years at APA certainly stand out. As he retired at the end of March, he could look back with satisfaction on his significant contributions to APA, particularly his three decades as chief executive officer and publisher of American Psychiatric Publishing Inc. (APPI)—the only one it has had.

Credit: Robert Eubanks

He began his APA career in 1976 as assistant director in the Office of Public Affairs. In 1981 he was tapped to head APA's new book-publishing endeavor—American Psychiatric Press Inc.—while still carrying out his duties as director of publications and marketing. In 1983 APPI published 12 titles—by 1991 that had expanded to 43 titles and annual sales of nearly $7.7 million.

McMillen helped that publishing enterprise grow into the world's largest publisher of books, journals, and multimedia products in the psychiatric field. He also guided APPI's leap into the Internet era with development of the highly regarded PsychiatryOnline Web site and APPI's presence on both Facebook and Twitter.

In addition to his APPI work, McMillen has held leadership positions in several organizations in the scholarly publishing arena, including the American Medical Publishers Association, for which he served as secretary-treasurer, and the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers.

APA Medical Director James H. Scully Jr., M.D., commented to Psychiatric News that "Ron ‘is’ APPI. He built it into the most important psychiatric publishing house in the world. His has been a very impressive career."

Melvin Sabshin, M.D., who was APA's medical director when APPI was founded, said in a letter read at McMillen's retirement reception at APA headquarters in March, "APA has been very fortunate to have had the skills and the commitment of such a marvelous manager. We thank him for all he has done for APA."