Mutchler began her career as a journalist, reporting for
Allentown, Pennsylvania's local newspaper,
The Morning Call after completing a degree in journalism from the Bellisario College of Communications at
Pennsylvania State University. She went on to report for the
Associated Press, covering politics in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Alaska, and Illinois. She was the first woman to be appointed the Associated Press' Statehouse Correspondent for that region, in 1993. She was later transferred, becoming the Associated Press' Bureau Chief for Atlantic City, New Jersey and then Juneau, Alaska. During her time as a journalist, she won several Keystone Awards, a Pennsylvania honor for reporting, and was awarded the Associated Press' state nominee for Young Writer of the Year. Mutchler attended John Marshall School of Law in Chicago after retiring from the Associated Press, earning a J.D. She clerked in the
Supreme Court of Illinois, worked in the Executive Office of the President during the Clinton administration, and was a speechwriter for the Illinois Attorney-General. In 2012, Mutchler publicly stated that Pennsylvania's Right to Know law should apply to
Penn State University, and that having it applied might have resulted in an earlier disclosure of the
Penn State child sex abuse scandal. Although Mutchler received bipartisan support for a second term, she was not reappointed, and joined private practice at the end of her term. During her term as director, the Office of Open Records expanded and doubled its rate of disclosures between 2009 and 2013, and was widely praised as improving public access and transparency in Pennsylvania. In 2019, Mutchler represented State Senator
Tarah Toohil who accused Republican State Senator
Nicholas Miccarelli III of domestic abuse and assault, and obtained a restraining order against Miccarelli for her. A House investigation reportedly found those allegations to be credible and stripped Miccarellli of his privileges. In 2021, Mutchler represented Pennsylvania State Senator
Katie Muth in a lawsuit against
Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System, which is currently being investigated by the
Federal Bureau of Investigation for allegations of corruption in relation to land purchases and statements of profit. In 2016, Common Cause presented her with the
Bob Edgar Public Service Achievement Award for her work in improving public accountability and transparency. In 2019, she was inducted into the National Freedom of Information Coalition's State Open Government Hall of Fame for her work in establishing government transparency, as a journalist and as a government official. In 2021,
Pennsylvania State University recognised her with the Alumni Fellow Award. == Personal life ==