Filipina elected president of US university

A Filipino raised in slums in the Philippines has been elected as the first woman president of the Utah Valley University (UVU) in the US.

The Utah State Board of Regents has selected Astrid Tuminez as the seventh president of Utah Valley University from a pool of 41 national and international applicants for the position, according to a statement posted on the school’s website.

UVU is said to be the largest public university in the state of Utah.

Tuminez currently serves as regional director for corporate, external and legal affairs in Southeast Asia for Microsoft.

She also serves as a member of the board of the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

“Dr. Tuminez has proven to be a dynamic leader across academic, nonprofit, public policy, and corporate sectors. Throughout her storied career, she has focused on bridging gaps in education and opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives, which seamlessly aligns with UVU’s institutional mission and core themes,” Daniel Campbell, chair of the board of regents said.

“Dr. Tuminez’s experience, vision, and dedication to student success will ensure that UVU continues to thrive in the years ahead,” he said. Utah-based publication, The

Deseret News earlier reported that Tuminez was raised in the slums in the Philippines before moving to the US.

“I was raised in the slums of the Philippines and I was five years old when Catholic nuns offered me and my siblings a chance to go to school,” Tuminez was quoted by The Deseret as saying.

“So that changed the entire trajectory of my life, and that’s what makes it so exciting for me to be in a university like UVU,” Tuminez said.

Based on an Esquire article, Catholic nuns from the Daughters of Charity invited Tuminez and her sisters to join the Colegio del Sagrado Corazon de Jesus – one of the best convent schools in Iloilo.

Tuminez was also the former vice dean of research and assistant dean of executive education at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, where she trained over 2,000 government officials and private-sector professionals in leadership and organizational change.

Her previous positions include senior consultant to the US Institute of Peace, director of research at AIG Global Investment, and program officer at Carnegie Corp. of New York.

She previously ran the Moscow office of the Harvard Project on Strengthening Democratic Institutions.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University, a master’s degree from Harvard University, and a doctoral degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.