Parkland-Spanaway, WA – February 15, 2023 – Blue Zones LLC., announced the appointment of Tono Sablan as the Executive Director for Blue Zones Project^®, Parkland-Spanaway. Sablan will be responsible for leading the rollout and local implementation of Blue Zones Project.

“It is an honor to lead this effort in service to Parkland and Spanaway,” said Sablan. “Blue Zones Project, designed with Parkland and Spanaway, will help to address critical needs and health disparities longed faced in our community. I truly believe in the collective impact potential of this movement to make Parkland and Spanaway a place where we can lead healthier, longer lives.”

A lifelong resident of Parkland, Sablan brings 10 years of relevant work experience to the position with a strong background in philanthropy, education equity, and community development. Most recently, Sablan served as the Grants and Contracts Administrator for the Raikes Foundation in Seattle, WA. In his role he helped manage more than 27 million dollars in grants and contracts in areas of Education, Youth Homelessness, Impact Driven Philanthropy, and Resourcing Equity and Democracy programs.

Sablan has a master’s degree in public administration from The Evergreen State College and a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Pacific Lutheran University. He currently serves as a school board director for the Franklin Pierce School District and was recently appointed by his peers to serve as School Board President.

Blue Zones Project is actively recruiting and hiring for additional positions now in Parkland-Spanaway: https://www.bluezones.com/bzpparklandspanaway/.

Brought to Parkland-Spanaway through an innovative sponsorship led by MultiCare, partnering with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, Pierce County, and Blue Zones, LLC., Blue Zones Project is a community-by-community well-being improvement initiative designed to enable community members to live longer, happier lives with lower rates of chronic diseases and a higher quality of life.

Based on principles developed by Dan Buettner, National Geographic Fellow and New York Times best-selling author of “The Blue Zones” and “The Blue Zones Solution,” Blue Zones Project is designed to make healthy choices easier through permanent changes to the built environment, policy, and social networks. Parkland-Spanaway is one of more than 70 Blue Zones Project demonstration sites in the United States.

To learn more about Blue Zones Project, contact the Blue Zones Project team in Parkland-Spanaway at 253-227-1444 or visit https://www.bluezones.com/bzpparklandspanaway/