OHMAR is a voluntary, tax-exempt non-profit, which is governed by an elected Board of Officers and at-large members.
The organization is formally affiliated with the national Oral History Association, including an official representative appointed to OHA’s State and Regional Committee.
On October 9, 1976, OHMAR held its first meeting, hosted by Joan Anderson at the Community College of Baltimore. Ben Frank was elected president, and Betty Key and Theodora Poletis were designated to draft a constitution. In December 1976 OHMAR published its first newsletter. Aided by a grant from the Maryland Bicentennial Commission, OHMAR sponsored its first all-day workshop in March 1977 at the Community College of Baltimore.
Initially, OHMAR designated the states of Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia as the Mid-Atlantic Region. In 1987 OHMAR expanded its boundaries to include New York in its membership region.