Awards

Distinguished Alumni Service Award - 2019

About Matthew R. Gutwein

When Matthew Gutwein was appointed to the board of Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County by then-mayor of Indianapolis Bart Peterson, Wishard Hospital was close to the end of its usable life. This historic hospital had served Indianapolis-area patients since before the Civil War, yet by the turn of the 21st century it was reasonable to wonder if Wishard would continue to exist.

Gutwein played a critical role in taking the case for a new Wishard to the citizens of Marion County and secured unanimous approval for what would become the $745 million Eskenazi Hospital, the nation’s third-largest safety net hospital system, providing care regardless of a patient’s insurance status. Thanks to Gutwein, one of Indianapolis’s key health assets was recast to serve the next century of patients.

Now serving as president and CEO of HHC, Gutwein honed his leadership skills through his experience as a partner in the law firm Faegre Baker Daniels, as an adjunct professor at IU’s Maurer School of Law, and as chief counsel for former Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh. He represented the State of Indiana in 1993 in Mike Tyson v Indiana and, in 1994, argued the landmark Heck v Humphrey before the U.S Supreme Court. Gutwein is beloved by friends and family for his hard working, warm, thoughtful, and unassuming manner—Hoosier values which are knit deeply into his character.