Headshot - Vanessa Tennyson - Executive Coach

Vanessa Tennyson

Executive, Leadership and Team Coaching Professional

Vanessa has over three decades of C-suite executive experience in professional services, non-profit management, human resources, financial management, administration, and operations.

Her skills in organizational development helped take her professional services firm from $1 to $22 million in annual revenue. She is a catalyst for developing leadership talent that embraces empathy, clarity and open communication as the foundation for executive presence.

As a transgender woman, Vanessa offers a rare perspective experiencing both male and female gender roles as an employee, manager, executive and business owner. With astute active listening skills, Vanessa is able to help clients discover the true basis for blockers, issues or concerns, and shine a light on what change looks like for them. She provides a framework, accountability and meaningful feedback to accelerate individual performance.

Her research conducted at Columbia University, led to her developing The Triad of Discovery – a process of clarity; bringing to the surface important issues of self, by creating a safe space for open and honest communication, without judgment, leading to enhanced performance and diversity of thought.

She has been interviewed by the New York Times, Aging Without Wrinkles, Hidden Edges Radio and Columbia Business School about her work and entrepreneurial spirit regarding encore careers and coaching, and was recently honored by AARP and Pollen Midwest with their 50 Over 50 Courageous Innovator Award.

  • Graduate Certificate with Distinction in Executive & Organization Coaching, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • Graduate Certificate in Business Excellence: Leadership, Columbia Business School, Columbia University
  • Advanced Careers Fellow, Life Course Center, University of Minnesota
  • Bachelor of Science in Business, Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota
  • Associate of Arts, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota
  • Graduate Certificate in The Science of Well-Being, Yale University
  • Professional Certified Coach (PCC) accredited by the International Coach Federation (ICF)
  • Professional Executive & Organization Coach (3CP) as accredited by the Columbia University Coaching Certification Program
  • Senior Consulting Professional for Human Resources (SHRM-SCP) as accredited by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
  • Individual Team Coaching Accreditation (ITCA) accredited by the European Mentoring and Coaching Council and the Global Team Coaching Institute
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