spuyaləpabš: Welcome to the Puyallup Tribe
Sep 05, 2019
David Z. Bean
spuyaləpabš: Welcome to the Puyallup Tribe

spuyaləpabš, the Puyallup people, were known as the “generous and welcoming people to all who enter our lands.” Today as in the past, the Puyallup people measure wealth not by what they have but by what they share. Tribal Council Chairman David Z. Bean will talk about the Tribe’s impact in our region today as not only a sovereign nation but one of the largest employers in Pierce County, a generous donor to charitable causes and a defender of natural resources and prosperity for future generations.

David Z. Bean graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1992 with a degree in business and public administration and after college worked for the Puyallup Tribe’s economic development arm and as a small-business owner. In 2006, he won election to the Puyallup Tribal Council, the Tribe’s seven-member governing body, and in June 2019 accepted the chairmanship. David also serves as vice chairman of the National Indian Gaming Association and is active with other Indian associations. He participates regularly in cultural activities such as drumming, singing, dancing and language classes, and he continues the fishing tradition he learned as a child by participating in Tribal fisheries as a diver harvesting geoducks.