Dr. Karen Suarez Flint is the Secretary-Treasurer of the Chicago Federation of Musicians, Local 10-208. She also serves as a Vice President of the Illinois AFL-CIO, and a member of the Chicago Entertainment Industry Labor Council (CEILC).  Dr. Suarez Flint rose to prominence within the AFM 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 aims 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 the #NotMe app for anonymous reporting of inappropriate workplace conduct at the CFM, which was later adopted by the AFM at the international level.

She is a tireless advocate for musicians, including Chicago’s Hip-Hop artists, as they work to end the “pay to play” culture and fight the exploitation of their craft and communities by corporate record companies and streaming platforms. Recently, Karen entered the junk ticket fee debate in Illinois, educating legislators on the need to expand their consumer protection-based priorities to include the monopolistic gouging of musicians’ profits. As the International Vice President, Dr. Suarez Flint is committed to building a broader, more diverse coalition of musicians to strengthen the AFM and protect live performance, recorded media, and intellectual property against corporate theft.

For many years Karen worked as a freelance classical musician, performing on orchestral stages and in theater pits around the US, prior to being elected to union leadership in 2022.  She served over twenty years as Adjunct Professor of Horn at Carthage College while also maintaining a studio of private students. Karen 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.