Professor José Weinstein holds a Sociology degree from the University of Chile and a PhD in Sociology from the Université Catholique de Louvain (Belgium). With over 30 years of experience in research, policy making, and implementation in the topic of education, José was Chile’s Undersecretary of Education (2000-2003), successfully leading negotiations with the Teachers’ Union on teacher assessment and incentives.

As Chile’s first Minister of Culture (2003-2006), he led the creation of the new governmental institution. Working for different educational institutions throughout his career, he has created and directed programs on improvement in secondary education, leadership development in vulnerable schools, and new opportunities for cultural development in youth.  

His experience and expertise have been sought by important international organizations such as UNESCO, OECD, and World Bank, and he was Chair of International Institute for Education Planning’s (IIPE) Governing Board (2022/2023). He has published over 60 articles in books, reviews, and journals focusing on education, poverty, youth, and culture, and was nominated as a member of the Chilean National Council of Education (2012-2015).

José is currently the Director of the School Leadership Program at Diego Portales University, where he is Full Professor. His recent work has focused greatly on school leadership development, relational trust, and capacity improvement of vulnerable schools.