NASHVILLE (AP) — Jo Walker-Meador, a matriarch of country music who led the Country Music Association for nearly three decades, has died. She was 93.

She died Tuesday in Nashville, according to a statement from the CMA.

She was an office manager for the CMA when it was created in 1958, then took over as executive director in 1962 and held that position until 1991.

During her tenure, the CMA launched a fundraiser to build the Hall of Fame, started its annual televised awards show in the 1960s and began Fan Fair, the precursor to the CMA Festival. She was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1995.