About Ann
Ann is a coach, author and muse whose life journey began in New York City and brought her to Washington, DC, Los Angeles, the High Mojave Desert of southern California and, recently, to Tucson, Arizona.
Ann’s career was initially focused on environmental preservation and policy with roots in the very first Earth Day in New York City.
After graduate school, Ann left New York City for Washington DC and a position with the US Environmental Protection Agency. She then returned to New York City where one of her positions was leading the City’s Hazardous Materials Emergency Response Team that responded to over 600 incidents a year – fires, dumped chemicals, explosions and toxic surprises.
In New York, Ann married Ermanno Vanino, a filmmaker who brought a new dimension to her life. Ann and Ermanno’s adventures brought them to Los Angeles where she worked in the private sector and then started her own consulting business with a partner, focusing on environmental regulation and management. In Los Angeles, Ann embarked on a new journey studying sacred arts with Lynn Andrews. She is a graduate of Lynn’s four year Mystery School and received a Minister Certification after completing a practicum of healing and energy work. She also served as a mentor in the school. This study has brought a depth and richness to Ann’s work that continues to grow and develop.
Ann’s journey took a turn in 1996 when she became a coach and founded Moving Forward Coaching & Consulting, now Ann Vanino Coaching and Consulting. She received her training at The Coaches Training Institute. In 2000, Ann and Ermanno moved to the High Mojave Desert of Southern California. She continued her coaching and writing there, inspired by the solitude, beauty and silence of the desert and mountains that surrounded her. In 2022, Ermanno passed away and Ann faced both a monumental loss and a need to redirect her life. In 2024, Ann started a new chapter in Tucson, Arizona where she could continue coaching, thrive within a creative and inspiring community and still be surrounded by the beauty of the desert. Part of this new chapter has brought Ann back into environmental preservation and policy, focusing on climate change and on bringing our students closer to nature through the creation of green schoolyards, outdoor classrooms and thriving school ecosytems.
Ann currently serves on the Board of Directors for The EPA Alumni Association and Friends of Positional Projects, an organization whose mission is to share arts and culture experiences to build community, preserve and create safe spaces on public land for belonging and shared care, and connect with the landscape through knowledge, stories, and stewardship.
