Laura Ubelhor owns and operates Consultech Services Inc., a Rochester, Michigan-based technology consulting company incorporated in 1992. She is an author of  books  published by MCPress and many technology articles. She also helped write the COMMON RPG and Business Computing Professional certification exams.  Laura has a Master of Science in Management degree from Walsh College. Laura has been involved in the Southeast Michigan IBM I User Group since 1988, serving as group president and lead organizer for the group’s annual MITEC conference. She is also a longtime volunteer for COMMON, serves as an officer for CEF (COMMON Education Foundation) and is an IBM Champion and has spent much of her career advocating for IT professional education.

Jacob Anderson is a certified IBM i professional specializing in RPG, SQL, CL, and PHP development. With experience integrating IBM i applications with modern web technologies, Jacob has delivered solutions ranging from subfile programs and SQL reports to production-ready APIs. As a board member of SEMIUG and contributor to the RPG Generative AI project, he actively supports the IBM i community while continuing to expand his expertise in APIs, service programs, and modular development. Passionate about bridging traditional IBM i systems with contemporary business needs, Jacob combines technical skill with a strong focus on understanding business processes to drive value for organizations.

Directors

Joy Chen – CAI Corp, (248) 626-1252 joychengm@gmail.com

16+ years IT professional (cross platforms, IT infrastructure). IBM Certified Technical Specialist. Specialize in System architecture, Application design, Development and Deployment, System integration, Encryption and decryption..Sr. Programmer/Analyst/Consultant (On Client Site/In House,7×24 support), Teaching  Computer/ Electronic Engineer and Automation in University (5 years)

 

Richie Palma is a Tech Solutions Consultant for iTech Solutions Group, IBM Champion for Power (2017-2019), IBM Fresh Face of IBM i, Member of the Common S.E.T. (Strategic Education Team), founder of the “Midrange Meetup” in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and on the steering committee for YIP’s (Young i Professionals).  Richie also speaks at conferences, Webinars, and local user group meetings, attends industry conferences/events, and deliver opinions, ideas, and lessons learned through social media and authoring articles.

 

Doug Rezanka – Eaton Corporation dougrezanka@eaton.com

 

Christian Richards – Fortra Christian.Richards@fortra.com

Christian Richards is a Software Engineer I at Fortra, LLC., and has worked there since 2021. He has an Associate’s in Applied Science degree from Muskegon Community College, specializing in software development. In addition to development work, he also serves as a mentor for newcomers to the field. Christian joined the Southeast Michigan IBM I User Group’s board in 2025, and hopes to one day become an IBM Champion.

Webmaster

Joshua Gardner – Consultech Service Inc jgardner@consultechservicesinc.com

Joshua Gardner is a Software Developer at Consultech Services Inc., where he has worked since 2022. He graduated with Presidential Honors from Gateway Technical College in 2023, earning a degree in Software Development. Joshua specializes in RPGLE, CL, SQL, and other IBM i programming languages. Much of his work focuses on AutoRelease, where he manages scheduled tasks, troubleshoots issues, and supports ongoing operations. As SEMIUG Webmaster, Joshua is passionate about the IBM i platform and the community that surrounds it. He is committed to expanding his expertise and contributing to the growth and success of the user group.

IBM Liaison

Sophie Maloney – IBM sophia.maloney@ibm.com

Sophia is a Power technical specialist with the Midwest Power team, covering several states in the region including Michigan and Indiana. She assists business partners and clients with solutioning and provides enablement to ensure that end users utilize their hardware to its full potential and understand their local IBM resources. She is also a member of several user groups and is always keen to hear about people’s experiences with their IBM hardware.