Directly and indirectly, Kristina Rittel has supported tens of thousands of student employees throughout her more than 15 years in higher education.
Rittel joined the Office of Student Financial Aid (OSFA) in 2018. Today, she serves as OSFA’s Student Employment Manager, supporting the federal work study program and the student employment experience.
Her advocacy for student employees’ growth led to multiple leadership roles in both regional and national organizations, culminating in her newest role as president of the National Student Employment Association (NSEA).
Putting OSFA in the spotlight
By serving as the president of a national organization, Rittel is bringing additional attention to the work being done at UW–Madison.
Even before that, though, OSFA and campus partners had cultivated a reputation for being at the forefront of high-impact student employment practices – and peer institutions were taking note.
UW–Madison was the first student employer to sign up for the talent acquisition platform PageUp, which is traditionally used to recruit candidates for full-time positions. Doing so not only streamlined recruitment and hiring for student positions; it also gave students a way to search for jobs based on the types of skills they hoped to gain. Colleagues from several other institutions reached out to learn more about our experience.
NSEA members have also used the Student Employment Supervisor Summit organized by OSFA’s Student Engagement team as a model they could reproduce on their campuses.
And lessons OSFA team members have shared from the WiGROW student employment engagement initiative have proven beneficial for NSEA peers.
“We’ve really become a resource that people really value,” Rittel says. “I can’t tell you how many institutions have reached out to me to set up a call to talk about how they can replicate what we’re doing here.”
Bringing it home
Those conversations go both ways. Rittel recounts how a call with a peer from the University of Denver helped shape a program she had long wanted to see implemented at UW–Madison: a certificate program for supervisors of student employees.
She, Kari Temkin, and Kasie Strahl worked together to launch the program in Fall 2025, in partnership with the Office of Human Resources’ Learning and Talent Development office. The three dozen supervisors of student employees who enrolled in the first cohort will learn a variety of new skills and hone existing ones to support students’ work experiences.
Her work with NSEA has also helped attract some high-profile speakers to campus for professional development opportunities.
“That all came from meeting people in the national spaces,” Rittel says.
Professional growth
Rittel’s national role was something she never expected when she first came to UW–Madison in 2012.
“If you would’ve asked me at that point in my life if I would’ve been serving as a president of a national organization, I would’ve laughed,” she jokes.
But just like she tells students, leaning into those unexpected opportunities can bring significant personal and professional growth.
“It has helped me really build my confidence, my leadership skills, my ability to believe in myself and tell myself that I can do hard things,” she says.
Despite the challenges currently facing higher education, Rittel is leaning in further to continue making an impact. During her one-year term as NSEA’s president, Rittel hopes to add a section to the organization’s newsletter that highlights what’s happening at the federal level, keeping her peers updated on changes that may affect student employment on their campuses.
As for what’s to come after her term ends? Rittel is embracing the possibilities.
“I’m already thinking [about] what’s next for me because I don’t want to stay stagnant and I want to stay involved at the national level,” she says.
By the Numbers: ~11,000: The number of UW–Madison students who participate in on-campus employment opportunities
This article is part of a series highlighting the Division of Enrollment Management’s contributions to higher education beyond the boundaries of UW–Madison, in keeping with the Wisconsin Idea and our Strategic Framework.