The sixth annual celebration of America’s Hispanic Heritage — the 2021 AL DÍA Archetypes event — will see 10 outstanding Hispanic professionals be honored with the 2021 Ambassador Manuel Torres Award.

The honorees will be distinguished across 10 categories. They are: public service, non-profit, education, corporate, entrepreneurship, sports, performing arts, philanthropy, media and health.

This year, the honoree in the entrepreneurship category will be Nina Vaca, Pinnacle Group Founder, Chairman and CEO. She founded Pinnacle Group in 1996, and has served as its Chairman and CEO ever since, growing the company from a one-woman IT staffing firm into a workforce solutions powerhouse operating across North America and on four continents.  

Today, Pinnacle Group provides a full suite of workforce solutions including IT staffing, Managed Services (MSP), Payrolling and IC Compliance, and Talent Communities to industry leaders in financial services, technology, communications, utilities, and transportation. Due to its rapid and sustained growth, it has been listed among the 500/5000 list of fastest-growing companies 13 times, and in both 2015 and 2018, it was named the fastest-growing women-owned/led company by the Women Presidents’ Organization.

In addition to leading Pinnacle Group, Vaca also serves as a committed civic leader and philanthropist. She works relentlessly to expand opportunities for people of color in STEM fields and women and Hispanics in business globally. Her alma mater, Texas State University, has honored her a Distinguished Alumna and  recently created the Nina Vaca Innovation and Entrepreneurship Award, which is presented annually to an undergraduate and a graduate student who exemplify outstanding entrepreneurship. She is also a founding contributor to the university’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 

Vaca is originally from Quito, Ecuador, and has maintained a close philanthropic connection with the country, providing financial support to small business owners in the wake of the 2016 earthquake, building a village for earthquake survivors in 2017, and providing numerous scholarships to students for the last several years.

During Hispanic Heritage Month in September, Vaca will be honored as the 2021 AL DÍA Archetype: Ambassador Manuel Torres Award in the category of entrepreneurship. She will join Damian Rivera, Nathalie Rayes, Noe Ortega, Alejandro Bedoya, Pedro Ramos, Yvette Peña, Ángel Corella, Dr. Ana Diez Roux and Gabriel Escobar as the 10 honorees at this year’s event. 

The 2021 AL DÍA Archetype Hispanic Heritage Gala & Awards Ceremony is set for Friday, Sept. 24, 2021 at the Union League of Philadelphia. To reserve your seat at the premier celebration of America's Hispanic Heritage, click here.