WILMINGTON, Del., March 15, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Chris Kozicki, director of crisis management and business continuity at Navient, received Navient's Navigator Leadership Award for his role in supporting a Puerto Rico-based team recovering from the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Maria.

Presented by President and CEO Jack Remondi at a ceremony at the company's headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, the award is given to one company leader who demonstrates excellence in business, people, results and personal leadership.

"Chris' commitment and dedication during these events were more than what was required of his job," said Remondi. "His actions were from the heart."

In September 2017, Puerto Rico was significantly impacted by catastrophic Hurricane Maria. The powerful storm also affected Gila, a Navient company, which manages the electronic toll processing program and customer service for the Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority and Metropistas. When Hurricane Maria hit the island, Kozicki and his disaster recovery team coordinated 24/7 support efforts.

Under Kozicki's leadership, Navient delivered water filtration units, medical supplies, satellite phones, generators, dry goods and many other critical supplies.

When asked how he relates to Navient's values Kozicki stressed the importance of teamwork.

"Although all my customers are internal, my team works hard to deliver value to the company so that our internal customers can continue to serve Navient customers," said Kozicki. "If we can't help our teams stay resilient to serve our customer base, we haven't done our job."

In Kozicki's honor, The Navient Foundation made a contribution to support The Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to families of kids with cancer nationwide.

Contact: 
Brianna Huff, 302-283-2973, [email protected]

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