Juan Cotto(he/him)

Juan Cotto is the Senior Government Affairs and Community Relations Officer at Bloodworks Northwest in Seattle, a nonprofit blood bank that serves the region. His job is all about building relationships — with elected officials, community organizations, and underrepresented communities — to make sure people know about and trust the work Bloodworks does. Every day looks a little different, but it usually involves meetings, listening sessions, and translating complex health policy information into something communities can actually use and connect with. Juan's path to this role was anything but a straight line. He went to college on a baseball scholarship in Oregon, interned with the Chicago Cubs, and worked for the Atlanta Braves and Seattle Mariners after graduation. From there, he shifted into politics, working on Patty Murray's first U.S. Senate campaign in 1992, then working as a policy analyst under Gary Locke when he was King County Executive. He even ran for state legislature, worked at a nonprofit internet startup in New York City, served as a development director at a Catholic school, and spent 12 years at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center before landing at Bloodworks. His career is a masterclass in how curiosity and relationship-building can take you places you never expected. For students of color, Juan's story is especially powerful. He's a Puerto Rican Black man who has navigated predominantly white institutions in politics, corporate America, and nonprofits — and he's done it by working hard, staying grounded in his values, and building genuine relationships along the way. He talks openly about facing subtle racial bias and how he handles it: by showing up at a high level, communicating clearly, and leaning on mentors. He never ran away from the challenges — he prepared for them. One of Juan's biggest pieces of advice is to stop chasing salary and titles early in your career and instead chase what you love. He told his own son the same thing: there's a difference between things you like and things you love. When you find the thing you truly love, you'll be better at it, grow faster, and feel more fulfilled. For him, that was community organizing and public policy — and everything he's done, even baseball, helped build the skills that made him great at it. If you're interested in public health, community outreach, government relations, nonprofit work, or public policy, Juan's story is proof that a degree in social science can open doors you didn't even know existed. His journey shows that the skills that matter most — listening, relationship-building, patience, and communication — are ones you can develop over time, no matter where you start.