June 25, 2026

CHICAGO FEDERATION OF MUSICIANS ANNOUNCES HISTORIC ELECTION OF DR. KAREN SUAREZ FLINT AS FIRST WOMAN INTERNATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT OF THE AFM

 Chicago Federation of Musicians (CFM), Local 10-208 of the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM) announces the historic election of Secretary-Treasurer, Dr. Karen Suarez Flint to the office of International Vice President of the AFM at their 103rd International Convention in Ottawa, Ontario. Dr. Suarez Flint became the first woman in the nearly 130-year history of the Union to hold the office of Vice President, and the first Chicagoan to serve as an International officer since James Petrillo famously served as President from 1940 -1958.

Dr. Suarez Flint rose to prominence within the Union at the 102nd Convention in 2023 as a champion for progressive policies intended to make the AFM a more equitable and inclusive organization. By stewarding the formation of the Change the Culture committee (an ad hoc group of women leaders from across the AFM) she aimed to confront the epidemic of sexual harassment and abuse in the symphonic music world, while creating effective policies that ensure safer environments for all working musicians. In order to address these needs, Karen piloted the use of a third-party app for anonymous reporting of workplace misconduct at the CFM, which was later adopted by the AFM at the International level.

A classically trained French Horn player who holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Master of Music in Performance & Literature from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a bachelor's degree in Music Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Dr. Suarez Flint knows that classical music is far from the only musical genre in which professional Chicago musicians work. Driven by the belief that ALL working musicians in Chicago deserve fair contracts and safe workplaces, Karen became a vocal advocate for the inclusion of Hip-Hop artists and DJs in the AFM, Black musical genres whose work has not historically been eligible for the benefits and protections of a union contract. After successfully arguing for their explicit inclusion in AFM Bylaws, Dr. Suarez Flint made CFM one of the first AFM Locals in the nation to welcome musicians from popular urban music genres into our rank and file.

Expressing joy and gratitude at the opportunity to lead the AFM into a bold new era, Dr. Suarez Flint remarked:

“Representation matters. I hope that there are many members of this union who will now feel more seen and included in our work, as a result of my historic election. I am humbled and honored to represent all of the members of the AFM, but I feel it is my special responsibility to make space at the table for the many voices who have traditionally gone unheard. Building a broader, more diverse coalition of musicians is the most effective way to strengthen our union, and create the kind of transformational policy change necessary to protect the live performances, recorded media, and intellectual property of 21st century working musicians."

MEDIA CONTACT

Megan Elk
CFM Director of Communications and Organizing
melk@cfm10208.org