Joe Walker-Meador

Jo Walker-Meador (February 16, 1924 – August 16, 2017) was an American music executive who served as Executive Director of the Country Music Association (CMA) from 1962 to 1991. During her tenure, she created the first Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, which opened near Music Row and ran from 1967 to 2000, developed the Country Music Association Awards (CMA Awards), which first ran in 1967, and launched Fan Fair (now the CMA Music Festival) in 1972. In 1995, Walker-Meador was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Early years Born Edith Josephine Denning in Orlinda, Tennessee as one of eleven children on a family farm, her goal was to become a high school teacher and basketball coach, given she played the sport in high school. Because of the Great Depression and World War II, Denning had to get a job and save money to go to college. Stone stayed in the position of executive director until 1960.

In a meeting on who to replace Stone as CMA's executive director, CMA member and country comedian Minnie Pearl stated, "Jo's doing all the work. Why don't we just hire her?" (Walker was not in attendance at the meeting when Pearl made the comments.) Walker took the position in 1962.

Other awards won by Walker-Meador include the City of Nashville Metronome Award in 1970, the Nashville Chamber of Commerce Board of Governors in 1977, the Academy of Country Music Jim Reeves Memorial Award (for establishing a CMA office in London) in 1983, and the first female President of the Board of Big Brothers in 1989. Walker-Meador was also inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame in 2008.

Personal life Walker-Meador was married twice. Her first marriage was to Charles Walker, and lasted from 1954 to Walker's death in 1967. That marriage would produce a daughter Michelle. The second marriage was to Bob Meador, and lasted from 1981 to Meador's death in 2015. Meador's marriage included two stepchildren, Rob and Karen.

Walker-Meador died of a stroke in Nashville on August 16, 2017.