Tony Vento

Tony Vento, of Purpose Matters, knows in his very soul the power of people coming together in respectful small circles, linked with other circles, for renewing and transforming ourselves, our workplaces, and our communities. Tony trained with Parker Palmer in facilitating reflective practices for renewal, vocation and leadership. He has designed and led over 60 retreats in the past 10 years.

An independent consultant, facilitator and trainer afflilated with the Center for Courage & Renewal and certified by the Flourishing Leadership Institute, Tony is known for convening transformational conversations that lead to renewal and action, bringing people together respectfully from across differences in groups of all types and sizes. 

Previously Tony served Case Western Reserve University as President of the InterReligious Council and Director of the Newman Campus Ministry.  He also served as Pax Christi USA’s National Program Director, Coordinator of the Cleveland InterReligious Task Force on Central America (IRTF), and Program Director for InterAct Cleveland, the regional multifaith and multiracial coalition (now of blessed memory).

His education includes Urban Studies at the University of Pennsylvania and graduate studies in Theology and Social Ethics at St. Michaels/University of Toronto, including study in Italy and Peru.  Recipient of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award in 1997 from the Interchurch Council of Greater Cleveland, Tony was also named among “Twenty People to Watch in the Twenty-First Century” by Northern Ohio Live magazine.