Nina Vaca founded Pinnacle Group in 1996 and has served as its Chairman and CEO. What started as a one-woman IT staffing firm has grown into a global workforce solutions powerhouse serving industry leaders in financial services, technology, communications & media, transportation, and utilities. Today, Pinnacle serves customers in over 20 countries and has been included in the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest-growing companies 13 times. In 2015 and 2018 it was named the fastest growing women-owned/led company by the Women Presidents’ Organization.
Nina has received numerous awards and recognition for her business success, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and the Goldman Sachs Most Intriguing Entrepreneur awards. In 2016 she was inducted into the Minority Business Hall of Fame and in 2017 she was named a Trailblazing Woman in Labor and Business by the Women’s History Project.
Nina is a committed civic leader and philanthropist, and as a seasoned public company director, has advocated for diversity in the boardroom and the C-suite. In 2014, Nina was appointed by the White House as an inaugural member of the Presidential Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship (PAGE) program, spreading the power of entrepreneurship to individuals, families, and communities globally.
A graduate of Texas State University, she was the youngest Distinguished Alumna in school history and in 2020 established the Nina Vaca Innovation & Entrepreneurship Endowment. She completed the Corporate Governance Executive Program at Harvard University and in 2016 became a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute. For her work in the community and business success she received honorary doctorates from Northwood University, Mount Mary University, and Berkeley College.