SUMMA team

About Javier González

​Javier González is an economist specializing in education, inequality, social mobility, innovation, and social development. He is SUMMA director and affiliated professor at the Centre of Development Studies, Cambridge University, where he teaches Institutional Economics and Political Economy of Development. He is also a researcher of the Scientific Millennium Nucleus in Social Sciences "Higher Education in Chile", hosted at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and funded by the Chilean Ministry of Economy. Finally, he is a member of the Think 20 research groups associated with the G20, a member of the UNESCO Advisory Board for the Global Education Monitoring Report and Co-Editor of the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report (2020) for Latin America focused on inclusion.

He has been a consultant for UNESCO, the World Bank and the IDB, advisor on Education and Innovation Policies for the Chilean Ministry of Finance, executive secretary of the Council of Ministers for the Formation of Advanced Human Capital, Director of Studies of the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research in Chile, and researcher for the Chilean Ministry of Education, where he held various positions in the design and implementation of educational policies. In his different functions he contributed, among others, to the design of the Preferential School Subsidy Law, the development of the Chile Scholarships programme, the promotion of research centres in education (CEPPE and CIAE) and the design of the Law on Tax Incentives for Private Investment in R&D.

He was also appointed member of the Board of Directors of Fundación Chile, president of the Cambridge Society for Social and Economic Development, delegate of the Working Group on Innovation Policy of the OECD, associate researcher at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona and academic at the Instituto de Economía, Universidad Católica de Chile.

His most recent publications include González, J. (2019). 'The Political Economy of Inequality in Chile: Historical Institutions, Taxation and Elite Power'. In Anand, Comim, Fennell and Weiss (eds), The Oxford Handbook of BRICS and Emerging Economies. Oxford University Press (forthcoming); Gonzalez, J. (2017). 'Putting Social Rights at Risk: Assessing the Impact of Education Market Reforms in Chile'. In B.S. Ndimande & C. Lubienski (Eds.) Privatization and the Education of Marginalized Children: Policies, Impacts and Global lessons. Routledge.

He holds a PhD and MPhil in Economic and Social Development from the Cambridge University, and a BA and MA in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

About Rafael Carrasco

Rafael Carrasco is deputy director of SUMMA. With extensive experience in education policy, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Agency for the Quality of Education for the Chilean Government. He worked for eight years in the Chilean Ministry of Education in various positions, as head of Development of the Education Quality Measurement System, and then as head of the Technical Team of the Minister and Undersecretary overseeing the design and development of educational policies, mainly the Preferential School Subsidy Law, which benefits the most vulnerable students in the country.

He has been a professor at Stanford University and Universidad Alberto Hurtado. He was part of the 2014 National Commission for the reform of the National Accountability System. He was also co-founder of the NGO San Pablo, which provides free preschool education to low-income girls and boys.

He holds a master’s degree in Economics from the Universidad de Chile, a Master's degree in Comparative International Education and a PhD in Education from Stanford University.

About Agustín Wolff

Agustín Wolff is Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director. He has spent most of his professional career at the NGO TECHO, where he held various positions mainly related to the direction and management of community projects, institutional strategic development, and fundraising.

His experience as general manager and implementer of TECHO-Guatemala stands out, as well as his last few years in the institution, where he oversaw the Social Direction for Latin America and the Caribbean.

He was a volunteer teacher at INFOCAP for the training of women entrepreneurs as part of the entrepreneurship programme. He holds a degree in Business Studies with a major in Economics from the Universidad de Chile and a master’s degree in Social Policy and Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

About Karla Fernandini

Karla Fernandini is Strategic Development and Advocacy Director at SUMMA. She has fifteen years of experience in the management and leadership of social projects with impact in the areas of poverty, economic inclusion, housing, and education. Her professional career is linked to institutional strategic development, project management and monitoring, and the implementation of fundraising strategies and collaborative alliances both at home and abroad.

She was TECHO General Manager in Peru, an international foundation where she later took on the position of General Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean. She was also NGO Acción Emprendedora Regional Director and Consultant in several development projects for public entities and NGOs. She is currently Vice President of the Board of Directors of TECHO International.

She holds a degree in Journalism from the Universidad Católica del Perú and a diploma in Strategic Management from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

About María José Sepúlveda

María José Sepúlveda is Evaluation Director at SUMMA. She has worked mainly in the field of education policy. She worked for four years at the Centre of Studies at the Ministry of Education of Chile, in the coordination of the Statistics and Cabinet Support Unit, with the main focus on the generation and systematization of evidence for informed decision making at different ministerial levels. Previously, she worked in the research area at the Elige Educar Foundation.

She is a business studies graduate with a major in economics and holds a master's degree in Public Policy from the Universidad de Chile.

About Dante Castillo

Dante Castillo-Canales is Policy and Innovative Practices Director at SUMMA. He has worked in social research in both the public and private sectors. At the Universidad de Chile he worked on issues of education, work, and citizenship, at Cambridge University, as a researcher in higher education policies and the use of contextual information in admission processes to tertiary education. He has worked in market research, research in new information technologies and innovation processes.

He is a sociologist from the Universidad de Chile, holds a master's degree in Culture and Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and a diploma in marketing from the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez.

About Mauricio Farías

Mauricio Farías is School Transformation Director at SUMMA. He has extensive experience in public policy in education, technical and vocational education, and labour training transitions. He has worked in Chile at the Ministry of Education, the National Kindergarten Board, the Education Quality Agency, and the Superintendence of Education. Additionally, he has provided consulting services to the National Training and Employment Service. He is an IDB consultant in projects in Chile and Peru and has also participated in several studies with the OECD. He is president of the I-Tek Foundation and director of the foundations Cristo Vive Naciente and Cristo Vive Formación Laboral.

Among his most recent articles are: "Gender gaps in STEM Pathways: Effectiveness of Upper-Secondary Tracks in Access and Persistence in Higher Education STEM programmes" (in review, 2020). "Impact of Preferential School Subsidies: Analysis from an International Comparison Perspective" (in review, 2020). "Labour Market Mismatch in Emerging Countries: the case of Chile", Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, (2020). "Effectiveness of Vocational High Schools in Students' Persistence and Performance in Higher Vocational Education." Research in Higher Education (2015). "Educación Técnico Profesional en Chile", IDB, (2015).

He is a Civil Industrial Engineer and holds a master’s degree in Economics from the Universidad de Chile. He has a PhD in Comparative International Education from Stanford University.

About Raúl Chacón-Zuloaga

Raúl Chacón-Zuloaga is the Regional Centre for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Director (KIX), developed by the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). With twenty years of experience in the field of education, he focuses his work on the development and improvement of the Chilean system, through research and evaluation of different policies and initiatives. He has led and collaborated in the processes of design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of educational policies in Chile, especially in the installation of the National System for Quality Assurance in Education in recent years.

He has also participated in relevant regional and international initiatives, such as the Regional Comparative and Explanatory Study of the Latin American Laboratory for the Evaluation of the Quality of Education (LLECE - UNESCO) and the School Resource Review (OECD), as part of the National Experts Group. From 2015 to 2018, he has been a professor in the master’s degree in Educational Policies at the Alberto Hurtado Universidad de Chile. A sociologist from P. Universidad Católica de Chile, he holds a master’s degree in Educational Studies from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.

About Christian Silva

Christian Silva Abuyeres is Communications Director at SUMMA. He has worked in the direction of communications areas of different public and private institutions. Previously, he was Communications Director at the National Urban Development Council, Communications Coordinator of the Quality Education Agency, Advisor to Educational Leaders at the Pontificia Universidad Católica, among others. In the media, he was a journalist in the programme Tolerancia Cero, columnist for the newspaper La Nación and news media producer for the Chilevisión channel. He has excelled in the construction, management and evaluation of internal and external communications strategies, development of corporate policies, crisis management and construction of communication processes.

He is a journalist from Universidad Diego Portales and holds a master's degree in Management and Public Policy from the Universidad de Chile.

About Yennifer Alejandra Sepúlveda Cotiart

Yennifer Alejandra Sepúlveda Cotiart is SUMMA's Administration and Finance Coordinator. She has developed professionally in different NGOs, both in financial, management and project areas. Her beginnings were in the foundation Junto al barrio, implementing and systematizing processes. She was a board member and co-founder of Microtia and Hypoacusis Chile Foundation, aimed at social actions, participation, and visibility of the pathology. She was also a volunteer in Technovation Girls as a mentor, an international programme that promotes the approach of girls and young women to STEM areas, with the purpose of promoting their interest in the development of new technologies and digital innovation.

She is an Executive Engineer in Administration, from the Instituto Profesional Santo Tomas. She is currently studying business studies with a degree in Economics and Administration from the Universidad San Sebastián.

About Soledad Ytuarte

Soledad Ytuarte is the External Communications Coordinator. She has worked for more than twenty years in print and digital media in Argentina, and in communications and public relations consulting firms. She developed most of her professional career as a newspaper editor in Spanish and English, developing projects and leading teams of journalists. In recent years, she coordinated external and internal communications at Fundación Nordelta, an Argentine non-governmental organization, designing and carrying out communication strategy and relations with the different stakeholders, and also works as an independent consultant. With a focus on the 2030 Agenda, Soledad is also part of the International Network of Promoters of the Sustainable Development Goals.

She studied Journalism at the Universidad de Belgrano, with an international exchange at Fairfield University, USA. She holds a diploma in PR, Corporate Image, and Institutional Communication from UTN Buenos Aires. She is a Senior Technician in Social Psychology, Ontological Coach and is currently taking a postgraduate degree in "Management and Direction of Non-Profit Organizations" at Universidad de San Andrés, Argentina.

About Gabriela Acevedo

She is a Graphic Advertising Designer from Universidad Santo Tomás, with a bachelor’s degree in Design from the same institution. She has extensive experience in editorial design, corporate design, communication strategies and advertising information design, marketing, and innovation.

She has worked for several publishing houses, including school textbooks for the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC).

She is currently at SUMMA developing corporate graphic pieces, educational materials and institutional presentations.

About Rosa María Moncada

Rosa María Moncada is coordinator of the KIX Honduras project. She has worked in education in diverse sectors such as government, external cooperation, and civil society. She served as the technical coordinator of the National Education Council in Honduras. She has led and collaborated with Central America Peace scholarships, teacher training for standards projects and standardized tests, shadow report of the 2030 agenda, index of the right to education, and with processes of elaboration of educational public policies and sectorial plans.

Business Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University, and an MBA from the University of Virginia.

Católica de Honduras. She has worked as a professor at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Honduras and as president of Intercultural Exchange Programmes AFS.

About Alejandra Canales

Alejandra is Coordinator of the SLEP Project that is developed together with the Gabriela Mistral Local Public Education Service, and is a technical counterpart in the KIX-Honduras project. She has developed educational software combining design and technology from a pedagogical perspective. In this line, she has been a consultant and advisor to public and private institutions. She was an Assistant Professor for more than 11 years at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Villarrica Campus, teaching Multimedia Education to students of Basic General Pedagogy. Likewise, he co-teached in the subjects of Psychology, Mathematics and Language, integrating the pedagogical sense of technology in these areas of teacher training. She was Executive Coordinator of the Educational Resources Center and part of various development projects with social impact in the Araucanía region. In addition, she integrated interdisciplinary educational research teams that are transversal to the career curriculum. His line of research and interest has been focused on the pedagogical uses of digital technologies in teacher training, which was the subject of his doctoral thesis. She is currently a co-researcher at FONDECYT REGULAR Nº1220113 on reading mediation practices.

She is a Graphic Designer and has a degree in Graphic Design from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso. Master in Design and Multimedia Communication from TRACOR - The Communications Arts Institute, Spain. She holds a PhD and MPhil in Education from the UCL-Institute of Education in the United Kingdom.

About Marcelo Fontecilla

Marcelo Fontecilla is School Management Coordinator at SUMMA. He has developed an experience of more than twenty years in education and educational policy, specialising in the topics of managerial leadership, counselling and educational change, inclusion and interculturality. At the Ministry of Education, he served as Priority Schools National Coordinator, and later as Inclusion and Diversity National Coordinator. Furthermore, he has gained extensive experience in consulting and educational improvement in institutions such as the Teaching Research Interdisciplinary Programme (PIIE), Fundación Chile and the Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano.

He is a psychology graduate from the Universidad de Chile and holds a master’s degree (c) in Anthropology from the Universidad Academia de Humanismo Cristiano.

About Andrea Lagos Mancilla

Andrea Lagos Mancilla is SUMMA's Teacher Training Coordinator.

Andrea is a professional with more than ten years of experience in qualitative and quantitative research in school education; conducting studies on public policy, educational management, school improvement, leadership, and teacher collaboration. She also has experience in the areas of management and coordination of projects that promote the improvement of educational practices.

She has worked in educational technical assistance organizations, university units and research centres in charge of supporting educational public policies. In recent years, she has undergone graduate studies addressing the management and organization of educational improvement in schools. In 2018 and 2019 she was part of the professional team of Líderes Educativos, Centre of Leadership for School Improvement (PUCV).

She is a currently a teacher on the bachelor’s degree in Education at the Universidad Miguel de Cervantes (Santiago) and Socializar Conocimientos Magazine Director, a collective and open access project of a network of researchers abroad.

Andrea Lagos Mancilla is a sociologist from the Universidad de Valparaíso, Master’s in Sociological Research and PhD in Sociology from the Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

About Paulina Cornejo

Paulina Cornejo is Virtual Chaka's Management Coordinator. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in the management of national and international cultural and educational projects: design, implementation, and resource management. Her initial training in information systems organization has been a support throughout her professional career to successfully meet various challenges in the development of complex programmes and projects.

She has worked as Head of Content Portal Educarchile (F. Chile), Head of the Digital School Programme (F. Chile) and Head of the Project "Perfeccionamiento directivo- BECAL Paraguay" (F. Chile). She is a librarian and documentalist from the Universidad de Chile, has a master's degree in Literature (U. Chile) and a postgraduate degree in Educational Technologies (U. Chile).

About Yolanda Gana

Yolanda Gana is the Management Coordinator in the Chaka Programme.

She has more than twenty years of experience in education and educational policy, in different public entities, such as the Curriculum and Evaluation Unit of the Ministry of Education, the Technical Secretariat of the National Education Council and the General Directorate of Public Education. Through her professional work and her postgraduate studies, she has deepened her knowledge on the topics of learning assessment, public policies in education, measurement and use of results and educational improvement.

She is a psychologist from the Pontificia Universidad de Chile, master’s in education from the University of Bristol. United Kingdom and PhD candidate in Education, from the same University of Bristol, United Kingdom.

About Betzabé Flores

Betzabé Flores is the Language Area Teaching Coordinator on the CHAKA Programme. Her professional career has been pursued mainly at highly complex schools, where she has worked as a teacher, counsellor, and Head of the Teaching Technical Unit. She led the team of the PEM component for the PACE Programme at the Universidad de Antofagasta, in areas of academic levelling and development of transversal competencies.

She has a degree in Education, a master’s degree in Curriculum Development and Educational Projects, a post-graduate degree in Educational Guidance and Vocational Counselling and a diploma in the field of Learning Didactics and Evaluation.

About Elisa de Padua

Elisa de Padua Nájera is Teaching Improvement Coordinator in Chaka Programme. As a specialist in education and evaluation, she has worked in institutions such as the Ministry of Education in Chile, the National Education Council and the Pontificia Universidad Católica. She has also worked as a consultant for UNDP, UNESCO, and the World Bank.

She is a psychologist with a master’s degree in Educational Psychology from the Universidad Católica de Chile. She also holds a master's degree in Educational Leadership and Improvement and a PhD in Education from Cambridge University.

About Tania Espinoza Peralta

Tania Espinoza Peralta is Teaching Management in Mathematics Coordinator at SUMMA. She has extensive experience leading teaching teams, planning, and implementing various methodological strategies aimed at strengthening the teaching of mathematics, through the support and strengthening of teaching practices. In this sense, she has participated in national and international research.

She currently participates in the enrichment and implementation of the training and support plan designed to improve the teaching practices of mathematics teachers participating in the CHAKA project.

She is a mathematics teacher at the Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación and holds a master’s degree in Education from the Universidad de Chile.

About Magdalena Flores-Ferrés

Magdalena Flores-Ferrés is SUMMA's School Transformation Contents Coordinator. She is a teacher with experience in school and university classrooms and a researcher in educational sciences. From the University of Amsterdam, she was a member of Professor Gert Rijlaarsdam's Laboratory for Innovation in Educational Research and participated in multiple international conferences, as a presenter and organizer of symposia. She worked in public policy implementation at the Ministry of Education, where she was coordinator of School Text Language and expert trainer of the Learning Resources Centre (CRA).

She is a high school teacher from the Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez, she holds a Master in Linguistics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and has a PhDr in Education from the University of Amsterdam.

About Mar Botero

She has more than eight years of experience in civil society and private sector, in the development of training and educommunication programmes from a Human Rights based approach.

Over the last few years, she was overseen the implementation of the training and citizen participation programme for the NGO TECHO in Latin America and the Caribbean. She has been a consultant for the development of communication and education campaigns for social change, promotion, and defence of human rights.

She holds a master’s degree in Communication and Education from the Universidad Católica de Chile and has complementary studies in Human Rights Education and Educational Communication.

About Carolina Osorio

Carolina Osorio is part of SUMMA's Communications area. She has worked for more than twenty years in various public-private organizations in Colombia and Argentina. In recent years, she has led communications teams in the government of the City of Buenos Aires, the AHT and is a consultant for several non-profit organizations that promote environmental care.

She studied Audiovisual Communication in Colombia, with a postgraduate degree in Strategic Communications Management from the Universidad de Belgrano. She also holds a degree in Psychology from UCES University in Buenos Aires. She is currently studying a specialization in corporate communication and social media at the Universidad de Valencia.

About Maciel Morales

Maciel Morales Aceiton is a researcher at the Regional Centre for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation. She has extensive experience in education and research. She has worked as an art teacher in schools both in Chile and in France. She participated in the Chile Califica programme, Contigo Aprendo Campaign of the Chilean Ministry of Education and in several educational projects: school guidance accompaniment (F93), scientific intervention for children (CRI) and artistic workshops in France.
Among his articles are : Le système éducatif chilienien et ses transformations au cours des quarante dernières années. Un regard porté sur les arts visuels dans trois contextes éducatifs (soumis). (The Chilean education system and its transformations over the last forty years. A look at the visual arts in three educational contexts (submitted). Neoliberalism in education: The case of Chile and social transformations over the past 40 years (2019) Educación artística en las escuelas chilenas: Currículum de artes visuales y su implementación en el aula (2017). (Art education in Chilean schools: Visual arts curriculum and its implementation in the classroom (2017)). Her research topics focus on arts education, primary education, socio-didactics, social inequalities, segregation, and vulnerability in different socio-educational contexts.

She holds a PhD in Educational Sciences from the University of Paris V, Descartes-Sorbonne, a Master’s in Educational Sciences and in Aesthetics and History of the Arts from the University of Paris VIII Vincennes Saint-Denis. Bachelor of Arts from the Universidad de Chile.

About Marco Bravo

Marco Bravo is an economist and collaborator at the Regional Centre for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation (KIX).

He was an education consultant for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). He has worked in several projects in education, among which stand out: accompaniment for education leaders in the region, researcher for the development of a plan for the implementation of teaching standards, data analyst in a regional survey of teachers, among others.

He is an economist from Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez and holds a master’s degree in Economics and Public Policy from the same university.

About Fernanda del Pozo

Fernanda del Pozo is a Researcher at the Regional Centre for Knowledge Exchange and Innovation (KIX). She has extensive experience in academic and applied research, mainly in educational research associated with various topics: public policy, school improvement and leadership, interculturality, and youth and adult education. She has participated in projects associated with the implementation and monitoring of educational policies in Chile, especially in the implementation of the Preferential School Subsidy Law and the New Public Education.

She is a sociologist from the Universidad Católica de Chile and holds a master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of London (UCL), England.

About Paula Salas

Paula Salas is Coordinator of Evaluation Projects at SUMMA. Her main experience is in educational research and development of assessment instruments. She worked as an analyst at the Measurement Center of the Catholic University (MIDE UC) and for four years at the Department of Psychology of the University of Chile in various research projects, aimed at the development of psychoeducational assessment instruments to support high school students. High School Humanist Scientist and Professional Technician in the process of transition to higher education.

She is a psychologist from the University of Chile and has a master's degree in Social Research Methods from University College London (UCL).