UNION CITY – Mississinawa Valley Local Schools Athletic Director Holly Gutierrez is well into her first year leading the Blackhawks athletic department and says the transition has been both smooth and rewarding.
Gutierrez grew up in Randolph County, Indiana, on the state and county line between Randolph and Wayne counties. She is a graduate of Northeastern High School and MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois.
Before arriving at Mississinawa Valley, Gutierrez taught Health and Physical Education at Winchester High School, where she also spent 10 years as the varsity girls basketball coach.
This is not her first experience serving as an athletic director.
“I had done it before,” said Gutierrez. “Winchester and Pendleton, where I met my husband, and then we moved home.”
Her move to Mississinawa Valley wasn’t something she planned.
“I just got a phone call from someone in this area and they asked me if I wanted to coach the girls basketball team here,” she explained. “My daughter is going through middle school, so I am trying to decrease my amount of evenings so I can watch her play, and I kind of turned them down. They called me again and said, ‘Would you be interested in applying for the AD job?’ They kept pushing me, and here I am. It really wasn’t on my radar, to be honest. People reached out, and it’s been a great fit. People are wonderful here, so change is refreshing sometimes.”
Gutierrez said she has long paid attention to the Blackhawks’ athletic programs from afar.
“Being close to this area, I kind of kept track just being a basketball coach, and it’s been fun to see a small school have so much success,” she said. “I see it specifically with the female athletes right now. The youth has a lot of bright spots coming up, and I think we have a lot of coaches in the right spots. It’s exciting to hopefully see what we can continue to grow and have that continued success throughout the next few years.”
Gutierrez also sees promising momentum on the boys’ side following recent showings in football, and basketball.
“Turning around,” she said of the just-completed 2025 football season. “We just hope to continue building that character. Discipline is something we’ve seen lacking early in some of the teams, and with the new administration, I think we all make a great team and are trying to recoup and rebuild that, and hopefully continue great things here.”
