For more than 90 years, IMA has been a champion of—and resource for—the financial management and accounting profession.
The organization was founded in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1919 as the National Association of Cost Accountants (NACA) to promote knowledge and professionalism among cost accountants and foster a wider understanding of the role of cost accounting in management. Our name was later changed to the National Association of Accountants (NAA). In 1991, the organization name was again changed to the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA), signifying our broader role as the association for accountants and financial professionals working inside organizations, and now we are known by the shorthand—IMA.
| 1919 | Founding of the National Association of Cost Accountants (NACA) in Buffalo, N.Y., an early incarnation of the IMA |
| 1920 | First chapter of NACA formed in Chicago First NACA Annual Conference is held in Atlantic City |
| 1925 | NACA Bulletin is introduced |
| 1935 | Library established at NACA national office |
| 1943 | First international chapter chartered |
| 1945 | Research committee established |
| 1949 | NACA Bulletin becomes monthly publication |
| 1957 | NACA becomes National Association of Accountants (NAA) |
| 1959 | Student Publication Services inaugurated |
| 1969 | Management Accounting Practices Committee is established |
| 1972 | Certified Managment Accountant (CMA®) program created The first Statement on Management Accounting (SMA), Concepts for Contract Costing, is issued |
| 1983 | Standards of Ethical Conduct of Management Accountants, the first code of ethics for management accountants in the U.S., is issued |
| 1989 | Financial Executive of the Year Award (FEYA) program established |
| 1991 | National Association of Accountants becomes the Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) |
| 1992 | IMA becomes a founding member of the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO), a private-sector organization dedicated to improving the quality of financial reporting |
| 1994 | IMA celebrates its 75th anniversary and publishes Proud of the Past – 75 Years of Achievement IMA Foundation for Applied Research (FAR) is formed for the advancement of management accounting |
| 1996 | IMA establishes the Certified Financial Manager (CFM®) program |
| 1997 | CMA and CFM tests are computerized |
| 1999 | IMA relaunches and renames its flagship magazine, Strategic Finance, which also becomes available online Management Accounting Quarterly debuts, Fall 1999 |
| 2000 | First IMA Student Conference held in Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| 2006 | First IMA Global Conference held in Dubai, UAE |
| 2009 | LinkUp IMA, our exclusive online professional community, is launched |
