Historical Note

The Data Processing Management Organization (DPMA) began in 1949 as the National Machine Accountants Association (NMAA). NMAA was incorporated in late 1951 and held its first convention in 1952 in Minneapolis, MN. Ten years later, NMAA changed its name to expand its membership beyond finance and accounting professionals. The change to DPMA enabled the organization to encompass the broadening spectrum of data processing users in the 1960s. DPMA retained the organizational structure of NMAA with numerous chapters placed in geographic divisions. Later these divisions were replaced with regions. Each region had a representative on the Executive Council who served with several executive officers and implemented policy decisions from the International Board of Directors.

DPMA continued NMAA’s commitment to promoting increased education and professionalism in information processing activities and management, and became one of the largest information processing management professional associations. DPMA produced numerous publications and extended educational offerings to the association's members and the information processing community, and involved itself with the American Federation of Information Processing Societies (AFIPS) from 1974 until AFIPS's demise in 1990. To aid professionalism, DPMA developed the first Certificate in Data Processing (CDP) and the examination for it in 1962. DPMA augmented the CDP with the Registered Business Programmer examination in 1970.

In 1997, DPMA was renamed the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP), to better reflect its broad membership.