From the Field to the Boardroom
How Sports Shaped the Career of Nova’s Director of Student Experience & Company Operations, Christina Kissler
If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of meeting Christina Kissler, she’s a former athlete, mom, and operator who now serves as Nova Chief of Staff’s Director of Student Experience and Company Operations. Her passion for leadership, the Nova community, and the people it serves fuels her work and fills her cup every day.
Today, Christina is taking over the Nova Blog to share how her experience in sports has shaped her career. Whether building systems that empower teams, translating a leader’s vision into strategy, or creating a culture of collaboration, she has carried those lessons in leadership into every role she’s held.
“The crowd was electric. Cups of beer vibrated and sloshed in people’s hands. High-fives and hugs were exchanged with every encounter. Green and blue confetti fell from the sky. A welcome change from the usual Seattle rain.
It was January 2005, and the Seattle Seahawks had just done it. They had won the NFC Championship game on their home field. Next stop: Super Bowl XL in Detroit against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I arrived that morning around 8 a.m. to start my shift working customer service in the box office. By nightfall, I was celebrating with 70,000 sports fans whose cheers caused measurable seismic activity at the University of Washington. Hours later, I was back in the ticket office with my team, sorting Super Bowl tickets into the early morning, fueled entirely by adrenaline and pride.
When our team owner, the late Paul Allen, announced that every full-time employee would be flown to Detroit—with a guest, on a chartered flight—he reminded us what leadership rooted in people truly looks like. We were given flights, lodging, transportation, and two tickets to the Super Bowl. It was a gesture that went far beyond perks. It was culture in action.
That year, the Seahawks launched a mission statement that hangs on the wall at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center and still sticks with me today: Passion. Character. 12th Man. Excellence.
At the time, it was a rallying cry for the organization and a shared goal by every teammate. Today, it’s my personal framework for how I approach my career and leadership.
Passion fuels purpose. It’s what keeps you pushing when things get hard.
Character defines how you show up; especially when no one’s watching.
The 12th Man reminds me that everything comes back to the customer, the community, and the people you serve.
And Excellence is the pursuit that never ends. It’s a mindset, not a milestone.
Those same principles guided me long before I ever worked in sports. As a tri-sport athlete and team captain, I learned what it meant to balance competing priorities, lead with integrity, and bring out the best in others. Sports taught me that success isn’t just about talent, it’s about preparation, discipline, and the ability to recover quickly from setbacks.
The Seahawks didn’t come home with the win that year, but I sure did. Sitting next to my dad in that Super Bowl stadium—a man who worked night shifts just so he could make it to every one of my games from 4th grade through college—was a full-circle moment. If you’d told my younger self that I’d make it to the Super Bowl one day, I don’t think I would have believed it. Turns out that following my passion for sports and leadership helped me keep winning, even when my competitive playing days were over.
Twenty years later, the environment may have changed, but the playbook hasn’t. Today, I carry those lessons in leadership with me in every role I’ve held. Whether I’m building systems that empower teams, translating a leader’s vision into strategy, or creating a culture of collaboration, the playbook remains the same: Passion. Character. People. Excellence.”
Our team at Nova is made up of problem solvers, operators, and Chiefs of Staff at heart—each of us driven by a bias for action and a passion for making work smarter. It is because of stories like Christina’s that we decided to launch our Sports Industry Track at Nova. The first-ever training program designed specifically for operations professionals working in the sports industry.
We’ve paired our renowned curriculum with exclusive insights from top athletics professionals, equipping you with the knowledge, practice, and confidence to drive business forward as a trusted partner to leadership. Kick off a new chapter in your career and get ready to lead with a championship mindset.
