My name is Mark Holtzman and I’m proud to serve as the Senior Advisor for Athletes. I have more than 20 years of advising experience at Ball State, and I strive to make sure my students feel welcome and supported in all they do during their time at Ball State. I often say that Ball State is a family affair for the Holtzman family. My wife, Mellisa Holtzman, brought us to BSU when she secured her first teaching position as a professor. Since, she has won multiple teaching awards and directs the graduate program for the Department of Sociology. Our oldest son is now a graduate of BSU, and our youngest son will soon graduate from Ball State as well. Because of my “dad experience” and my emphasis on humanizing the Ball State experience, I have had many students claim that my support “was like having another dad on campus!”

I was a first-generation student at Eureka College in Eureka, IL. and earned my Master’s in Teaching at Tufts University in Boston. Having grown up in the small, rural town of Roanoke, Illinois, I have always been, and will always be, a loyal Chicago Bears Fan. I was a national award winner in 4H and continue to enjoy country life with horses, a dog, a garden, and a big yard. I love to travel, most of my weekend and vacation adventures are focused on camping, hiking, biking, and trail riding with my home-raised Quarter Horses. And if you love music, you’ll enjoy our meetings because I’ll usually have hits from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s streaming on the computer!