Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530033
20 SAG-AFTRA | Fall/Winter 2024 | sagaftra.org For Members National VP Named 2024 Howard Keel Honoree Committee of Locals Bestows Top Honor on SAG-AFTRA VP, Small Locals Suzanne Burkhead S AG-AFTRA Vice President, Small Locals Suzanne Burkhead is the 2024 recipient of the union's prestigious Howard Keel Award for exceptional union service. The award was presented at the Howard Keel Awards Dinner in Los Angeles on Oct. 21. Burkhead, who is also a Dallas-Fort Worth Local Board member, has served her fellow members since the early days of her successful commercials acting career. As a young union volunteer, she chaired the Local's Membership Development Committee, inspiring her peers to join her in union service — and many of them continue to serve today, dedicating thousands of hours a year to fighting for SAG-AFTRA members. A longtime proponent of the merger of SAG and AFTRA, she was instrumental in creating the national constitution as well as templates for the local constitutions. Her leadership was invaluable in the formation of the Committee of Locals and in making it an effective body. She was also a strong proponent for regional codes, and as the National Board member of the Dallas-Fort Worth Local, she championed what is now known as the Southern Central Regional Commercials Code, which has been a great success and set the standard for regional codes across the country. Burkhead was elected to the national office of vice president, small locals in 2019, 2021 and 2023, and has served on the Executive, Finance, Commercials Performers, Government Review, Litigation Review, Organizing and Right to Work committees, as well as on the President's Task Force for Education, Outreach & Engagement. XXXXXXX Howard Keel Award Committee Co-Chairs Nancy Duerr, left, and Towanda Underdue, right, with Keel honoree Suzanne Burkhead. A FL-CIO President Liz Shuler was the keynote speaker at the SAG-AFTRA Committee of Locals' biennial conference in the James Cagney Boardroom in Los Angeles Oct. 20–21. It was the first time the committee met in-person in five years. Shuler, who attended via Zoom, discussed the importance of labor union solidarity, the historic TV/Theatrical/ Streaming strike, and the leadership role SAG-AFTRA is playing in fighting to establish guardrails on the use of A.I. She noted that all industries will feel the impact of this rapidly evolving technology. The conference included panels and discussions about the importance of engaging in partnerships and building relationships with fellow AFL-CIO unions, local and state governments, and film commissions to help expand cooperation and create work opportunities for members. Additionally, there was a panel focusing on organizing broadcast shops and a segment on developing the next generation of union leaders. The Committee of Locals, which is co-chaired by Suzanne Burkhead and Michele Proude, with Vice Chairs Randal Berger, Nancy Duerr, Ilyssa Fradin and Mykle McCoslin, consists of the National Board members from the locals outside of Los Angeles and New York, and the presidents of those locals are invited to participate. SAG-AFTRA union leaders meet for the Committee of Locals conference in Los Angeles. AFL-CIO Prez Headlines Committee of Locals Conference