Councilor Rich Blonna

Dr. Rich Blonna 

Term of Office 2020-2024

Professional Background:

Dr. Rich Blonna is a first-term City Councilor. A retired Professor Emeritus from the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University of NJ, he is a well-known author of college textbooks and self-help books. A major focal point of his research and writing over the past 30 years has been understanding how the mind and body work together to promote health and prevent disease. A prolific writer, he has authored several White Papers since becoming a City Councilor.

Education:

• May, 1986   EdD Health Education (Health Counseling) -Temple University: Philadelphia, PA
• June, 1976  MA Education (Counseling) - Seton Hall University: South Orange, NJ
• Jan., 1973   BS Psychology - William Paterson University: Wayne, NJ

Work Experience:

Prior to becoming a City Councilor in 2020, Dr. Blonna was the President of Dr Rich Blonna LLC, an internet-based business that sold books, audios, self-help courses, and coaching via teleconferencing software. He recently dissolved the company to devote more time to his work as a City Councilor. Prior to his tenure as the sole proprietor of Dr Rich Blonna LLC, he had the same role in RJ Health Consultants, a NJ-based company he dissolved in 2014 after moving to Florida.

Dr. Blonna retired from the Department of Public Health, William Paterson University of NJ as a Professor Emeritus after 28 years of teaching. A distinguished educator, Dr. Blonna was elected to Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers in three consecutive decades, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s. Besides teaching Public Health Courses in the classroom, he was a pioneer in distance learning, developing some of the university’s first online courses. During his tenure at William Paterson University, he served as the President of the NJ Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), and held various teaching, coaching, and counseling credentials.

Prior to entering academia, Dr. Blonna worked from 1973-1986 for the New Jersey State Dept. of Health in the Division of Epidemiology and Disease Control. He started out his career as a Contact Tracer in the STD Program and finished as a Health Education Consultant responsible for Community Education and Training for both the STD and Family Planning Programs for the State of NJ. While with the NJSDH he routinely consulted with the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta on national educational and counseling initiatives.

Family Life:

Dr. Blonna lives on Marco Island with his wife Heidi. They have been married for 51 years and have two adult sons and two grandchildren. Dr. Blonna and Heidi have been full-time Marco Island residents since 2012 and have experienced both condo and single-family home living. They currently live in a single family home on San Marco Rd and before that lived in a condo in San Marco Villas. They love to cook together and spend quiet time on the beach reading or relaxing by their pool. For fun, Dr. Blonna loves outdoor sports and is an avid kayaker, cyclist, beach runner, tennis player and fitness devotee. He also loves to read, write, meditate, and take photos at sunrise, his favorite time of day

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