Pilar Mendiola Fernández

Pilar Mendiola Fernández (born 1971) is a leading expert in the fields of experiential education and development of advanced leadership training. For seventeen years she has developed an expertise in designing educational programs for young leaders from across the world. Pilar serves as Chief International Officer and Senior Vice President for Advanced Leadership Programs and Chief International Officer of The Washington Center (TWC).

In 2011 she was named among the Nation’s Top Women Mentoring Leaders by the WOW Magazine, sharing the honor with Michelle Obama and Sonia Sotomayor, among others.

Pilar Mendiola Fernández was born in Xalapa, the State capital of Veracruz, Mexico in 1971. She graduated with honors from UDLA (the University of the Americas) in Puebla, Mexico. Her area of expertise is Educational Communication. Her thesis on educational communication won an honorable mention. Mendiola Fernandez is engaged to Christopher Joseph Gerard Timothy Cook, they reside in Washington DC.

She is a writer; her Spanish-language short stories “Zapatos de nube” (Shoes made out of clouds) are meant to empower people by sharing personal experiences.

Pilar Mendiola Fernández is a leading expert in the fields of experiential education and development of advanced leadership training. She has gathered eighteen years of experience in designing educational programs for young leaders from across the world. Pilar serves as Chief International Officer and Senior Vice President for Advanced Leadership Programs at The Washington Center (TWC). The Washington Center was founded on the belief that the right experience can transform student’s lives, -setting them on a course of achievement, leadership and civic/social responsibility. In 1996, The Office of International and Advanced Leadership Programs, was created under Pilar’s leadership. The office advances TWC’s mission by providing international students and high profile officials from around the world with educational, social and cultural opportunities to develop the global skills needed to contribute to their local, state, national and international community, thus preparing them for responsible leadership. More than 3,700 international high potential students, young professionals and high profile officials from 107 countries have participated in the international programs.

Pilar Mendiola Fernández is also responsible for forging ties with international organizations based both around the world and in Washington, D.C. Pilar created a new division within TWC to bring young international leaders from around the world to Washington, D.C. for training that combines theoretical and experiential components with integrating leadership and public management practices in an internship experience.

She designs and implements several highly competitive leadership-training programs for the most outstanding young professionals with the objective of providing them with new tools and skills that will empower them to become better leaders through experiential and transformational learning. She strongly believes that responsible leadership is based on civic and ethical standards that will foster economic and social development. Under Pilar’s leadership more than 30 TWC groundbreaking international programs have been implemented, Today The Washington Center has worked with more than forty-eight countries from around the world to bring international students and high profile public servants (such as secretaries of state and governors) to TWC for advanced leadership seminars and professional training programs.

Some of the prestigious internationally tailored programs and initiatives of The Washington Center are The NAFTA Leaders Internship Program, The Governors Internship Program, The Bush, Mulroney and Salinas Fellowship Program, The Miguel Aleman Regional Development Initiative, The GE Latin American Leaders, The US-China Bilateral Trade Internship Program, The Global Citizens Program for Students in Asia and The US- Panama Innovation and Competitiveness Initiative among many more.

Other initiatives that were tailored and managed by Mendiola Fernandez are, The Korean Educators Internship Program (2012), launched through the support of the Korean Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology. TWC has received and increased a grant from the Prudential Foundation to host 120 students from six countries in Asia and Latin America over the course of following three years. The partnership with the Flemish Ministry of Education in Belgium has been renewed to have an increased number of program participants.

In 2013 TWC hosted participants from new regions under groundbreaking initiatives. The first group of students to participate came from Gibraltar and took part in the Post-Graduate Professional Development Program; also the public servants from the Mexican state of Hidalgo joined the academic internship program; TWC hosted the first four students from New Zealand; and six students from Koç University in Turkey who participated in the summer semester 2013 as part of the TWC-Ford – Koç Scholarship.

In 2014 The Washington Center designed and administered the inauguration of the TOMODACHI Initiative and its Generation Program sponsored by the U.S.-Japan Council’s. Also during 2014 the TWC developed the Oaxaca Social Development initiative and the Estado de México Education and Professional Training Initiative.

During 2014 Mendiola Fernandez designed, implemented and executed the Mexico 100 Program as part of the 100,000 strong of the Americas Initiative and the Proyecta 100,000 Program. It is the largest stand-alone professional development and training program for Mexico at The Washington Center, it brings 100 Mexican students from public universities to TWC to participate in a specially crafted professional academic internship program. It has an academic focus on how to develop cross-sector partnerships to strengthen civil society and address social challenges. This groundbreaking program was designed, implemented and executed under an entirely innovative model that had never been used in TWC. The program was created in partnership with the Fundación de Liderazgo Avanzado and The Mexican Institute of Youth (Instituto Mexicano de La Juventud, or, IMJUVE), and it is referred to as Rumbo Joven 100 in Mexico.

Countries that have benefitted from the international initiatives for work force development and human capital are Mexico, Canada, South Korea, China, Brazil, Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, India, Taiwan, Panama, Albania, South Africa, Belgium and Japan.

Pilar Mendiola Fernández received an award in 2007 by the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce for her outstanding contribution to US-Mexico bilateral relations through Educational Programs.

In 2011 she was named among the Nation’s Top Women Mentoring Leaders Leaders by the WOW Magazine, sharing the honor with Michelle Obama and Sonia Sotomayor, among others.

Pilar Mendiola Fernandez was honored at the 2011 Global Women Mentoring and Philanthropy Summit for her contributions to the next generations of leaders as a Mentor in Atlanta, Georgia.

Another groundbreaking accomplishment under Pilar’s leadership was that The Government of Veracruz and The Washington Center donated an Olmec Head to the Smithsonian Institution in 2004. The Olmec Head is located in Constitution Avenue in front of the Museum of Natural History, bearing testimony to the friendship between the United States and Mexico.

“La industria generadora de Capital Humano:” The Industry that generates Human Capital at the Foro de Vinculación Empresarial (Forum for Business Ties) in 2011, organized by CONALEP (National College for Professional Technical Education), in Tijuana, Mexico.

“Fostering Partnerships for life” 2011 Global Women Mentoring and Philanthropy Summit