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Celebrating 50 Years of Professionalism
and continued educational growth,
the Association developed a point
system, taking into account the
work experience of current
managers.
“They were attempting to create a balance
in the areas of experience, education and CMAA
involvement in order to give recognition where recognition
was due and to measure competence,” explained former
CMAA president Horace G. Duncan, CCM. “We were
pioneers in certification. Only a few organizations really had
a certification program at that time.”
These changes weren’t without opposition, however.
Duncan explained that many members were wary and
skeptical about going through a program where they would
have to become certified. “Eventually, they saw the light and
accepted [certification] - it turned out to be a great thing!
Many other organizations copied what we were doing. It was
one of our greatest moves.”
That great move came to fruition in 1965, when the first
certification requirements were officially implemented. In
1966, at the 39th CMAA Conference the first class of 150
Certified Club Managers were formally recognized for the
first time and many more were in the process of completing
the basic requirements. The next year, the number of CCMs
jumped to 241, with an added 61 managers in the process of
attaining their designation.
More than 50 years later, Mesinest’s vision has become a
reality. CMAA’s certification program is the most respected
in the hospitality industry and the CCM designation is
considered the hallmark of professionalism in club
management. It is a valuable and widely-respected mark of a
manager’s commitment to professional development and the
club industry.
Join the more than 1,500 Certified Club Managers
worldwide; review the pathway beginning on page 6.
1961 was a landmark year for the Club Managers
Association of America (CMAA), with its membership
topping 2,000 members for the first time. While the country
was debating civil rights and counterculture, the club
management profession was also experiencing a dramatic
shift. It was a shift that would ultimately benefit more than
1,500 club management professionals and the greater club
industry.
At the 1961 CMAA Convention in Denver, more than 1,000
managers were in attendance. After a strong call by then-
CMAA President Kenneth Meisnest to develop a
certification program for club managers, the membership
was ringing with talk. “Someday you could have after your
name…
CCM for Certified Club Manager
. This will be
done by a committee which will determine experience and
training requirements and, after examination; a method
would be evolved for assuring continued competence in our
field.”
Meisnest’s vision included the development of a set of
training-education programs that would also benefit
subordinate club staff and employees - making the entire
club operation, and indeed the industry as a whole, the
beneficiary of such a certification program.
In 1962, official steps were taken to develop the CMAA
certification program. Bylaws were passed that incorporated
the program, but the development was slow and deliberate
to ensure the approach was equitable.
For years, the club management profession was one that did
not require an educational background or prerequisite, and
consequently many managers moved into positions and
advanced their careers without formal training or even
college degrees. The prospect of implementing a
certification program made many of these managers
question their continuing place in this evolving field.
To honor the many members who shared these concerns
while at the same time encouraging academic preparation
Celebrating 50 Years of Professionalism