As an O’Dea High School student, Juan Cotto walked by Bloodworks Northwest (then Puget Sound Blood Center) every day to catch the bus home to Seattle’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.
“My mother always told me about the blood bank and the importance of blood donation,” Juan said. “I knew Bloodworks was an important organization and worked to help save lives.”
Juan’s mom, Frances Cotto, was a nurse at the VA hospital and saw how donated blood made a difference for her patients.
An athlete and natural relationship-builder, Juan gravitated to politics and community organizing instead of medicine, but healthcare has never been far from his mind.
As Senior Government Affairs and Community Engagement Strategist at Bloodworks, he works to save lives in a uniquely Juan Cotto way – and blood centers across the country are taking note.
Juan, along with Nick Gehrig of Vitalant, was honored at America’s Blood Center’s Annual meeting on March 9, 2026 as Blood Community Advocate of the Year, “for their extensive work in advancing and protecting the interests of blood centers in state-level advocacy.”
Juan and Nick are leaders of the Northwest Blood Coalition, a union of the blood centers serving the Pacific Northwest (The American Red Cross, Bloodworks, and Vitalant). The Northwest Blood Coalition collaborates across Washington State to promote and support blood donation at the state government level.
“Our work with legislators, agency partners, and community leaders demonstrates how practical ideas — rooted in education and public benefit — can lead to tangible improvements in how people engage with their own health,” Juan said.
One example of this is passing of Senate Bill 5689: Washington residents can now voluntarily include their blood type on their driver license or state identification card.
“Juan is as tireless an advocate for the cause of blood donation as you’ll find,” said John Yeager, Bloodworks’ Senior Media Strategist. “His work with state lawmakers in Olympia over the last two years to get blood type listed on Washington state driver licenses will literally save lives.”
Juan stressed that this is a team effort.
“Awards are usually given to individuals, but they represent the work of a team. Colleagues in our Community Engagement, Finance, Marketing and Communications, and Volunteer Resources departments have been true teammates and have supported this work in so many ways,” he said.
This recognition is also a celebration of the way volunteers can bring their unique skillsets to benefit local patients.
“Bloodworks Volunteer Dan Fazio has been instrumental to helping us set the direction of our legislative action,” Juan shared. “He is a true friend, and with all of this support we have been able to elevate a safe and reliable blood supply.”
Please join us in celebrating Juan and Nick — and the entire Northwest Blood Coalition — for this achievement.
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