As an adult, Samuel understands the privilege and opportunities his education provided him. He recognizes that his escape from the confines of West Virginia was due to his schooling and that his peers who lacked an education were unlikely to experience the same level of social mobility. What’s more, many children residing in low socioeconomic neighborhoods find themselves without mentors to help them succeed academically beyond secondary school—a luxury Samuel Pinion was also afforded and one he intends to pass on to those who need it. 

Now in his professional life, almost every cause that he works with revolves around education. Currently, Samuel is involved with the following organizations:

• Volunteer at iMentor New York, a program that matches every student in the organization’s partner schools with a personal mentor that helps them prepare for and succeed in college;
• Organizer and Board Member for Friends of Will, a nonprofit aiming to raise awareness and funds for organizations that help provide individuals with physical and/or mental disabilities the tools they need to live a full life;
• Recent Graphite Board Member for the nationally recognized nonprofit organization Pencils of Promise (PoP), which builds schools and increases educational opportunities in developing countries

In addition to his interest in education-based nonprofits, Samuel Pinion also believes in volunteering close to home and helping one’s community. He is a Friend of the Hudson River Park and worked at their 2019 Annual Gala, which raised over $3M for an educational center in Tribeca. He is also a regular volunteer at St. Joe’s Soup Kitchen, an all-volunteer based organization that provides 400-500 meals every Saturday to New York’s homeless population.

Samuel is a graduate of the University of Virginia where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the Mcintire School of Commerce’s Real Estate Track. Before his current position as a VP at the largest non-bank commercial mortgage lender in the US, he worked with his family at Pinion Realty in Morgantown, West Virginia. During his tenure in that role, he helped secure the acquisition of a $1.6MM fraternity house, a property that was 100% rented historically but was only collecting 60% of the rent from tenants. He then worked with the West Virginia University administration to create a property management deal and ensure rent collection. 

Most recently, Samuel has also become involved in venture capital. So far, he has invested in Doji, an app that helps to earn a user money by evaluating a stock’s performance based on recent financial events, and Loyal Assistant, an app for healthcare professionals seeking per diem opportunities without the traditional hassles. 

When Samuel Pinion finds downtime from his professional and philanthropic endeavors, he enjoys exploring the vast and varied New York restaurant scene. His friends are known to call him the Human Yelp since he has developed an ever-growing spreadsheet of restaurants he’s been to and which ones are the best. Whether it be a date or a work event, Samuel’s peers are always asking him for his restaurant recommendations. He appreciates the way food brings people together—a commodity in the modern world—and also enjoys spending time cooking for friends and family.

For more information on Samuel Pinion and his insights into philanthropy, be sure to check out his blog.