08/25/2026
Please join us in welcoming our newest Rotarian, Perla Vinasco 🎉
Perla Vinasco was born in Bucaramanga, Santander, Colombia, a place that remains deeply connected to her heart. She is a lawyer who graduated from Universidad de San Buenaventura, a Franciscan Catholic university, and she also holds a degree in business administration from the School of Business Administration in Cali, Colombia. For more than 12 years, Perla served as General Manager of her family’s wire and cable company, gaining the kind of strength, discipline, and resilience that would guide her through many chapters of her life. After marrying Harold Cardona, she joined his law firm and returned to the world of litigation, where together they built a practice focused on commercial law, corporate law, contracts, and civil litigation. In 2000, a sudden and devastating act of violence forced Perla and her family to make the painful decision to leave their beloved Colombia and begin again in the United States. Those first years were full of uncertainty, but Perla faced them with courage and determination, working as an entrepreneur and real estate agent as she built a new life for her family. From 2009 to 2023, she served as Chief Operating Officer for a Pennsylvania law firm, managing six offices and bringing care, leadership, and dedication to her work every day. In spring 2025, Perla and Harold followed their daughter’s path to Minnesota and made their home on the East Side of Saint Paul. Today, Perla embraces this new chapter with gratitude, hope, and an open heart. She finds joy in stained glass and in making silver jewelry with the beautiful stones she gathers at gem and stone festivals — creative passions that reflect her love of beauty, patience, and transformation.