Executive Team

Nina Vaca founded Pinnacle in 1996 as an information technology services provider to the Fortune 500. Pinnacle provides IT-enabled solutions in the growing area of vendor management via a proprietary solution that captures all aspects of the client- vendor relationship. Pinnacle also provides IT Staff Augmentation Services, Professional Staffing and Payrolling services.

Under Nina’s leadership, Pinnacle has become the fifth fastest growing firm in a $20 billion dollar industry, and now has revenues of 200 million which includes 3,000 consultants across the United States and Canada. Pinnacle is one of the most widely recognized and honored companies nationwide, garnering over 38 national and local awards over the past 7 years including consecutive top rankings in the Inc. 500, and Staffing Industry Report.

Jim Humrichouse joined Pinnacle in 2001 and has played a critical role in establishing and building all aspects of Pinnacle’s service delivery model, including Pinnacle’s Managed Services practice, its patented candidate quality methodology, and the 2011 acquisition of Provade, Inc. Jim was promoted to Vice President in 2003 and to President in 2004.

Jim’s background in corporate finance and strategy has enabled him to impact Pinnacle’s growth significantly through the establishment of strong financial controls, operating practices, information technology infrastructure and internal organizational structuring. As a result, Pinnacle has been able to grow its revenue base more than 100 times since mid-2002 and significantly increase the depth and breadth of its client service engagements.

Prior to his role with Pinnacle, Jim was a Sr. Engagement Manager with McKinsey & Co., the global leader in strategy consulting, as well as Barclays Bank and Kidder, Peabody. Jim has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a finance degree with high honors from The University of Texas.

Lisa Autry has served as Pinnacle’s General Counsel since 2009. Responsible for all Pinnacle legal issues and operations, Ms. Autry reports directly to CEO Nina Vaca. Ms. Autry began her legal career serving as a briefing attorney to the Honorable Justice James A. Baker of the Texas Supreme Court. She worked in the civil litigation departments of Baker Botts LLP and Rose Walker LLP with a primary emphasis on employment law.

Before taking on the role of General Counsel for Pinnacle, Ms. Autry managed an employment law training and consulting practice. Ms. Autry earned her Juris Doctor degree from Baylor School of Law where she graduated summa cum laude and served as Executive Editor of the law review. She earned her Bachelor of Art degree from Texas A&M University. Ms. Autry is a member of the Texas Bar Association, the Association of Corporate Counsel, the American Staffing Association, and the Dallas Bar Association.

Jamie is a results-oriented senior executive with a successful track record building multiple business lines and divisions for Adecco, one of the worlds largest workforce solutions providers. An effective and strategic leader, Jamie consistently leads high performing teams to deliver revenue, profitability, return on market share growth.

Most recently, Jamie was US President & Chief Operating Officer for Adecco Engineering & Technical and Adecco Medical & Science where he lead all sales and service initiatives, talent acquisition and strategy development. In his 30 year tenure with Adecco, Jamie held many positions of increasing responsibility in sales and operations.

With his strong focus on customers, Jamie has become a respected leader in the staffing industry. He has attained an exceptional track record by providing high-quality service, commitment and leadership, producing outstanding results. He is a graduate of the University of Maine with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

As Vice President of Corporate Operations, Mircea Negrea leads Pinnacle’s recruiting, IT, Infrastructure, and Fulfillment departments. In this capacity, he has developed new metrics for salesman performance evaluation of recruiters and has implemented first-ever IT Infrastructure documentation plan. Before serving in his current role, Mircea was Pinnacle’s VP of Accounting, Finance, and Shared Services.

Under his leadership, these departments were re-evaluated and upgraded to become the high performing systems they are today. Mircea received his MBA from the Yale School of Management and the London School of Economics. With a 4.0 GPA, he earned his MS in Accounting and Information Services from the University of Texas of Dallas School of Management. Mircea also graduated valedictorian from Truman State University with a BS in Business Administration with a Finance Major and Mathematics Minor. In 2012, he received the Young Alumnus of the Year award from Truman State. In his free time, Mircea is a member of the Dallas Committee on Foreign relations, and enjoys playing amateur soccer.

Justin Junkel joined Pinnacle in 2008. As Vice President of Finance and Analytics, he oversees all functions related to accounting, finance, consultant support, vendor management and onboarding. He brings a results-oriented, analytical approach to creating cost-effective and efficient business solutions.

During his tenure, Justin has streamlined Pinnacle’s back-office operations, yielding improved service and faster turnaround times for our customers and consultants. He earned his B.A. in Economics and a B.S. in Business Administration – Finance from Truman State University.

Stephen R. Kovac is responsible for Pinnacles Professional Services Group, which includes the following practice areas: IT Consulting, Data Center and Cloud Strategy and Migration, Virtualization, Application Development, Systems Integration, and Enterprise Architecture. He also oversees Information Assurance, Governance, Risk and Compliance, Cybersecurity, Identity and Access Management and Physical Security, Mobility, Mobile Applications, and Device Deployment.

Mr. Kovac is a 20-year veteran of the information systems industry with extensive experience in both the private and public sector. Mr. Kovac served as a Vice President at Terremark Federal, a Verizon Company, and Area Vice President of Verizon, responsible for information security, cloud computing, managed hosting and, professional services.

Mr. Kovac is a trusted resource to several federal and state agencies regarding IT and Security Services, and carries a Top Secret Clearance. Mr. Kovac was first educated at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX and later finished his Bachelor’s degree at University of Missouri.

Kyle Pittenger is responsible for the development and implementation of strategic and tactical sales initiatives of Pinnacle’s National Accounts group in the US and Canada. Kyle joined Pinnacle in 2002 and has served in his current role since 2011. He is a member of Pinnacle Executive Management Committee, specializing in the development and implementation of the firm’s strategy.

From 2009-2010, Kyle served as the Director of Client Delivery where he was responsible for six of the firms largest clients. From 2002-2008, Kyle acted in a Delivery Manager role where he generated, developed, and retained significant Fortune 100 accounts, which continue as vital and valued Pinnacle clients today. In addition, Kyle is a recipient of the prestigious Chairman’s Award. Prior to joining Pinnacle, Kyle worked as an Analyst for Morgan Stanley.