Robert Wunderlich is an American politician. He served as the 81st mayor of

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

Biography

Wunderlich grew up the son of an electrician in

Queens, New York Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long I ...

. He then went on to study

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and earned a B.A. in

Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

on a scholarship from the electrician’s union, graduating in 1975. He then received a Masters in Physics and a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. Inspired by his wife, Andrea Spatz, who is a financial planner, Wunderlich earned an MBA in finance from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

and went on to found a financial consulting firm. He began his public service by serving as

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

' representative of the

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is a regional wholesaler and the largest supplier of treated water in the United States. The name is usually shortened to "Met," "Metropolitan," or "MWD." It is a cooperative of fourteen cit ...

from 2007. In 2017, he won the race for City Councilman focusing on the city's infrastructure, environmental sustainability and transportation. Wunderlich won the race by a narrow margin of 18 votes. On April 6, 2021, he was installed as mayor of

in a virtual ceremony.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wunderlich, Robert People from Queens, New York Columbia College (New York) alumni Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni UCLA Anderson School of Management alumni Mayors of Beverly Hills, California