Kim Suarez | Woman of Achievement & Courage Award Honoree
- Year: 2026
- Location: WomanUp and Celebrate West Michigan
Co-Founder of Business Equity Initiative Fund
Kim Suarez enjoyed a long and successful career in health care. The last twenty years of her working life were spent in the Corewell Health integrated delivery system. Suarez started at Priority Health in 1997 as a Senior Manager of Provider Network Management and went on to lead several key areas of the health plan, including care management, pharmacy, behavioral health, wellness, customer experience, and call center operations. In 2015, she took on the challenge of integrating the disparate call centers within the Corewell Health hospitals and medical group.
Suarez has a passion for supporting women and families as well as racial and economic equity. That passion is reflected in her involvement with Inforum, the YWCA Tribute Awards, the American Heart Association Go Red for Women, Harbor Hospice and United Way of the Lakeshore. It is also reflected in the many women Suarez has mentored throughout her adult life.
After retiring, Suarez co-founded the Business Equity Initiative Fund, which provides grants to female entrepreneurs in Muskegon County where she resides. The Business Equity Initiative Fund was started in 2021 and has provided $149,000 in grants to 35 women-owned businesses.
Suarez is married to Ed Polakis, has two sons and enjoys reading, yoga, and music of all genres.
