Fernando Diaz del Castillo

Fernando Díaz del Castillo is an educator with over 25 years of experience leading educational transformation through innovation, technology, and teacher development. A graduate in Philology from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia and holding a master’s in education from Harvard University, Fernando has worked across the public and private sectors, designing and implementing curricula, professional development programs, and learning methodologies grounded in the learning sciences.

He is the Co-Founder and Chief Learning Officer (“Chief Nerd”) of Mentu, an education innovation lab dedicated to closing learning poverty gaps in Colombia and Latin America by bridging best practices with the use of technology. Mentu partners with governments, school networks, and non-profits to create solutions that integrate pedagogy, technology, and evidence, with a focus on strengthening the role of teachers to improve student learning. Under his leadership, Mentu has developed Shaia, a generative AI-powered teaching assistant that supports educators in planning, instruction, and ethical AI use, all within active, collaborative pedagogies. Fernando regularly speaks at international forums on AI in education, knowledge building, innovative pedagogy, and teacher empowerment.