Initially, CMA's Board of Directors included nine directors and five officers. Wesley Rose, president of Acuff-Rose Publishing, Inc., served as CMA's first chairman of the board. Broadcasting entrepreneur and executive Connie B. Gay was the founding president. Originally there were nine individual membership categories. The current 15 categories represent all facets of the music industry.
Organizational memberships are also available.
CMA membership is composed of those persons or organizations that are involved in Country Music, directly and substantially. The directors elect officers each year for a one-year term. CMA's Board of Directors meets four times annually. They serve the organization gratis, paying all their own expenses. The Board of Directors of CMA established the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1961 to immortalize Country Music's greatest contributors.