ICMA was founded as the City Managers’ Association when eight of the existing 31 U.S. managers met in Springfield, Ohio, in December 1914. The organization adopted its first constitution at its second annual conference in Dayton, Ohio, in November 1915.

ICMA’s “circle-and-square” logo was used by the organization from 1969 until 2007.

While attending the 10th annual conference in Montreal in 1924, the City Managers’ Association changed its name to the International City Managers’ Association in recognition of the many Canadian membership applications the organization had received.

In 1969, ICMA members voted to extend Corporate (voting) membership eligibility to mayor-appointed and council-appointed administrators with overall management responsibility in all local governments and to directors of councils of governments. Assistants were also given the right to vote and hold office. To reflect these changes, on July 1, the association changed its name to the International City Management Association and rolled out a newly designed “circle-and-square” logo to serve “as an identifying mark on all ICMA publications and communication.”

ICMA’s final name change to the International City/County Management Association took place in 1991, when members voted to fully recognize the inclusion of county chief appointed officials who became eligible for full membership in 1969.

To learn more about the many milestones in the history of ICMA, its members, and the professionalism of local government management, visit icma.org/anniversary and scroll through the anniversary timeline on the homepage. Also watch this space in PM, where we are highlighting an anniversary moment each month.