Dallas' Nina Vaca Makes Giving Back a Way of Life

More than 20 years ago, Vaca founded Dallas-based Pinnacle Group, a global IT workforce solutions provider. Featured in the Inc. 500/5000 list of fastest growing companies 13 times and named 2018’s fastest-growing woman-owned company in the country, Pinnacle has had a significant presence in Texas for years.

Many businesses have begun to see the value in becoming global citizens and the importance of making an economic impact. The rationale is that when businesses give back, everyone benefits.

Vaca believes that an entrepreneur’s personal and professional stories are so intertwined that you can’t look at the two separately. She believes that the success of an entrepreneur is measured not only in dollars, but also in how much he or she serves the community at large, as well as the people more immediately around him or her.

Her Journey

Vaca’s story is different from that of many CEOs. She immigrated to the United States from Ecuador as a child and grew up in Los Angeles, California. After her father passed away when she was 17, Vaca was suddenly running the family business. Eventually she attended college and chose to start her own company.

“I decided not to climb the corporate ladder,” Vaca said. “Instead, I decided to take matters into my own hands by starting my own business over 20 years ago.”

She founded Pinnacle Group in 1996, which was still the early days of the global IT industry. As one of the few women and Hispanic people in IT leadership, Vaca admits that it was sometimes a lonely and challenging climb to success.

Over the years, as she worked to grow the company, Vaca was raising four children, navigating the company through the wake of the economic crash that followed the September 11 terrorist attacks, and staving off potential liquidation. Through it all, Vaca’s inspiring leadership and sound financial practices have led the company to become one of the largest in its industry.

Vaca doesn’t see herself solely as a CEO. She sees herself also as a civic leader and philanthropist, offering opportunities to women and minorities interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and entrepreneurship. She believes that Latinos and women are the future of American entrepreneurship, and because of that, she does whatever she can to support those following in her footsteps.

As someone who has benefited greatly from the opportunities that the U.S. has given her, she sees it as her mission to help open as many doors to opportunity as possible.

PAGE and At the Table

Vaca was appointed a Presidential Ambassador for Global Leadership (PAGE) in 2014 by the White House. She has traveled to five continents in this role spreading the message of empowerment through entrepreneurship.

While she was a PAGE Ambassador, she created the At The Table initiative, which aims to spread entrepreneurial success to all women. At The Table is a multifaceted program that gives participants access to mentors, information, capital, and education to start their own businesses.

Ecuador Earthquake Relief

In 2016, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Ecuador, killing almost 700 people, injuring more than 6,000, and leaving countless more homeless.

Vaca’s mother, a lifelong activist and philanthropist herself, asked her daughter how she was going to help with relief efforts and give back to her community. Vaca, an avid triathlete, created a campaign to raise awareness and funds for those affected by the devastating earthquake. The campaign “Tri for Homes,” recruited athletes, donors, and volunteers through social media to participate in a triathlon to attract sponsors who could help with the home-rebuilding effort in Ecuador. Vaca herself participated in that triathlon, the Ironman 70.3 in Manta, Ecuador, and tapped associates, family and friends for support.

The event raised more than $100,000 from 233 donors, which was used to build 40 new homes in a new development dubbed “Villa de la Alegria” (Village of Happiness) in Ecuador. Vaca knew that building homes alone wouldn’t solve the problems facing the community. As an ambassador for entrepreneurship, Vaca wanted to strengthen Ecuador’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and give those affected by the earthquake the means to support themselves moving forward through entrepreneurship. In addition to a new home, each family received more than an acre of land to plant, cultivate, and harvest crops.

“I can’t tell you how rewarding it was for me, as an American, to return to my home country to help Ecuadorian families find stability and prosperity through entrepreneurship,” Vaca said.

Nina Vaca Foundation

As a devoted philanthropist in the U.S. and Ecuador, Vaca is doing her part. However, she wanted to build longevity into her philanthropic efforts, so she founded the Nina Vaca Foundation.

The foundation’s goal is to build communities within underserved populations around the world. The Nina Vaca Foundation provides education, entrepreneurial opportunities, and infrastructure development to help women and minorities. Vaca tied her foundation’s efforts with the mission of her company, Pinnacle Group. It’s her goal to leave a legacy of giving back that’s integral to the company’s culture. For example, Pinnacle partners with a Dallas-area school to offer STEM training to high school students through a program called P-TECH, doubling down on Vaca’s belief that the journey toward entrepreneurship is made possible through education.

A Brighter Future for Dallas and the World

Vaca doesn’t view philanthropy as a box to check off her checklist. It’s a part of who she is as a person.

“My desire is that my legacy pertains to people — people I was fortunate enough to help and impact,” Vaca said. “I prefer to be remembered as a person of value versus a person of success.”

She encourages other Dallas-area business owners to embrace giving back, because it provides meaning and motivation to their work. Strengthening the Dallas community, and any community, is challenging, but encouraging philanthropists to use their success to help provide opportunities for others is a great place to start.

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