BATON ROUGE — Sue Kozik, senior vice president and chief information officer (CIO) at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana, has been honored by the National Diversity Council (NDC) as one of only 50 Distinguished CIOs nationwide.

According to NDC Founder and Chairman Dennis Kennedy, the Distinguished Chief Information Officer Awards program was launched in 2017 to promote the vital mission of diversity in the technology industry and recognize the achievements of a range of information officers making great strides innovating in their space.

“The Chief Information Officer has become the point-person for innovation and the forerunner for change inside today's organizations," Kennedy said. “Today's CIO must be equipped to leverage that information toward a greater strategy of organizational growth and success. The National Diversity Council is proud to recognize the executives who are doing just that."

Kozik joined Blue Cross in 2018. Already recognized as an innovative business leader with a proven track record of delivering results in highly regulated and competitive industries, she has built on that reputation by leading IT strategies that enable Blue Cross to maintain its leadership position in a constantly changing and intensely competitive marketplace. She has been recognized previously with the CIO 100 Award and the HP Innovation Award and was named by the Washington Diversity Council as one of its 2016 “Most Powerful and Influential Women."

“I am honored to be recognized by this organization—a leader in the national conversation about the importance and value of diversity in our nation," Kozik said. “Diversity of experience, race, gender, socioeconomic circumstances, etc. is incredibly important to our society, and also to how effective organizations deliver products and services to our communities. I am proud to be part of the leadership team at Blue Cross, where we strive to practice our commitment to diversity in everything we do to improve the health and lives of all Louisianians." 

According to Kennedy, the 2020 Distinguished Chief Information Officers meet the following criteria:
•    A top information officer in his or her organization
•    Directly contributes to business growth and strategic direction of the organization
•    Maintains a record of innovation and accomplishment in areas of expertise
•    Effective role model who inspires others and is active in mentoring the next generation of professionals in the industry
•    Displays high integrity and ethical behavior
•    Demonstrates a commitment to corporate citizenship

Before joining Blue Cross, Kozik held executive IT leadership positions at Group Health, Independence Blue Cross, TIAA, Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and CIGNA. For a number of her CIO roles, Kozik was the first leader in the company to hold that executive position, bringing technology to the conversation and to the board level.

Kozik graduated from Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, and was a member of the college’s board of trustees for 15 years.  Since 2012, she has been a member of the board of directors at Tech Impact, a national nonprofit organization focused on workforce development and technology services. She continues to work with a number of technology startups and advisory boards. She was profiled in Dan Roberts and Brian Watson’s 2016 book Confessions of a Successful CIO – the Conversation Continues.

About Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to our mission to improve the health and lives of Louisianians. Founded in New Orleans in 1934, we are a tax-paying nonprofit health insurer with offices in every major region to serve our customers. We were recognized in 2019 and 2020 as an honoree of The Civic 50, named by Points of Light as one of the 50 most community-minded companies in the United States. 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. We are a private mutual company, owned by our policyholders, with an independent Louisiana Board of Directors and no shareholders. We invite all Louisianians to visit our website at www.bcbsla.com or talk to us on social media.