Ruthlane Uy Asmundson

Ruthlane Uy Asmundson (, born September 21, 1945) served as mayor of the City of Davis, California from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2010. A native of Gamu, Isabela, Philippines, Asmundson was the first female Filipino immigrant to be elected into the position of mayor in an American city.

Academic career and personal life In 1968, Asmundson graduated with a BS in chemistry from Adamson University, a private Catholic institution in Manila. She went on to become a Fulbright Scholar in the US, earning an MS degree in chemistry from Wilkes University and a PhD in Agricultural Chemistry from University of California Davis in 1972, again as a Fulbright Scholar. She subsequently returned to the Philippines to teach at Adamson University.

On her return to the Philippines to teach, Ruthlane was accompanied by Vigfus Asmundson, a prominent lawyer in Davis who became the city mayor in 1970. During their time in the Philippines, he proposed, and the pair wed following their arrival back in the United States, during Vigfus's term as city mayor. The Asmundsons had four children themselves, and also raised two children of Vigfus's sister, who died of breast cancer in 1990. Vigfus was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in his later years Her alma mater conferred on her the Outstanding Alumni of the Year in 2000 and 2003 for her contributions to the university and her achievements as a public official. She received the 2006 Pamana ng Filipino award. In 2010, she received a UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Award of Distinction.