Ursula M. Burns, born on September 20, 1958, is an American businesswoman, best known as the CEO of Xerox from 2009-2016, the first Black woman to become a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company.
Burns was raised by a single mother in a New York City housing project. She attended an all-girls Catholic high school, and in 1980, earned her bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute. A year later, she earned a master of science in mechanical engineering from Columbia University.
Burns began her tenure with Xerox as a summer intern and was hired permanently after earning her master’s degree a year later. She worked in different jobs in product development and planning within the organization throughout the 1980s.
Ursula Burns’ career is an excellent example of how hard work has rewards. In 1990, Burns’ hard work paid off when senior executive Wayland Hicks offered her an executive assistant position. She was hired as executive assistant to chairman and chief executive Paul Allaire a year later. In 1999, Burns was named vice president for global manufacturing, and by 2000 was named senior vice president of corporate strategic services became and began working closely with soon-to-be CEO Anne Mulcahy. After two years, Burns became president of business group operations. Burns assumed the role of president of Xerox in 2007. She succeeded Mulcahy as CEO in July 2009. Shortly after, she began the acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services.
While Burns was CEO at Xerox, President Barak Obama appointed her to lead the White House National STEM program in 2009, and she remained the leader until 2016.
Burns has served on several boards, including the University of Rochester, the MIT Corporation, Boston Scientific, FIRST, the National Association of Manufacturers, the RUMP Group, etc. She is a founding board of directors of Change the Equation, which focuses on improving the U.S.’s education system in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
Forbes has listed Burns as one of the 100 most powerful women globally.
Find more information about Ursula Burns in her recently published memoir, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are, a title inspired by her mother’s encouraging words.
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