Augustus Casear Award | 2026

Christopher R. Trzeciak

Christopher R. Trzeciak, is an accomplished risk management and business resiliency leader with over 15 years of experience supporting large, complex, and highly regulated financial institutions. His career has been defined by building and leading enterprise-wide frameworks for business continuity, crisis management, and non-financial risk oversight that align with organizational strategy and evolving regulatory requirements. Currently serving as Director of Business Continuity and Incident & Crisis Management at Discover Financial Services,

Chris oversees the development and execution of enterprise resilience programs. He works closely with senior leadership to ensure business operations are safeguarded against disruption, driving innovation through the integration of predictive analytics, advanced risk models, and response playbooks. Previously, as Vice President and Business Continuity Risk Officer at Nuveen Investments, Chris led global risk management initiatives spanning over 30 countries. His work included enterprise-wide business impact analyses, disaster recovery planning, regulatory reporting, and the deployment of cutting-edge emergency notification systems to enhance readiness.

Chris began his career at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where he contributed to critical incident response planning, recovery testing, and the development of key business continuity frameworks. His comprehensive approach has been recognized through multiple certifications, including PMP, CBCP, and MBCI, and published research on public-private intelligence coordination. In addition to his professional accomplishments,

Chris is dedicated to public service. He currently serves as a Board of Education Member and Secretary for Homer Glen Consolidated School District #33C and is an active leader in various professional associations. Chris holds a Master of Science in Threat and Response Management from The University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Saint Xavier University.