Wayne Kruger, Executive Director of Financial Assistance Operations at St. Petersburg College, was recently honored by The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), when they named him an MVP: Most Valuable Professional.
MVP: Most Valuable Professional is an occasional series that features a brief Q&A with a different NASFAA member.
Kruger has worked in financial aid for 20 years, with 11 years at SPC, and got his start in higher education as a federal work-study student in the admissions office during his undergraduate years at Sacred Heart University, where he was a first-generation college student. He later earned his master’s degree in College Student Affairs and Administration at the University of South Florida.
In addition to being the Executive Director of Financial Assistance Operations at St. Petersburg College, Kruger has held several leadership positions with the Southern Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (SASFAA) and the Florida Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (FASFAA) and has been a guest on the NASFAA “Off the Cuff” podcast.
In the Q&A, Kruger said he chose to work in financial aid in higher education because he wanted to make an impact by helping people figure out how to pay for college.
“As I decided to continue to work in higher education,” he said, “I decided that working in financial aid might be the most impactful position within a college. The idea of helping others navigate the finances of higher education, and help others learn from my own mistakes, really drew me in.”
He also noted why he loves working at St. Petersburg College, which is largely due to the college’s diverse and nontraditional student population.
“Having vocational training, certificates, associate and bachelor’s degrees while being open-access, we serve students from all walks of life,” he said. “The experiences you see daily are ever-changing and keep you on your toes.”
Read Kruger’s spotlight interview on the NASFAA website.