Ursula Burns

Ursula Burns
Personal details
Born	(1958-09-20) September 20, 1958 New York City, New York, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Alma mater	New York University Columbia University

Ursula M. Burns (born September 20, 1958) serves as Madam Chairman and CEO of Xerox. She is the first African-American woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company. She is also the first woman to succeed another woman as head of a Fortune 500 company. In 2009, Forbes rated her the 14th most powerful woman in the world.

Early life

Burns was raised by a single mother in the Baruch Houses, a New York city housing project. Both of her parents were Panamanian immigrants. She attended Cathedral High School, a Catholic all-girls school on East 56th Street in New York. She went on to obtain a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Polytechnic Institute of NYU in 1980 and a master of science in Mechanical Engineering from Columbia University a year later.

Career at Xerox

In 1980, Burns first worked for Xerox as a summer intern, permanently joining a year later, in 1981, after completing her master's degree. She worked in various roles in product development and planning in the remainder of the 1980s throughout her 20s.

In January 1990, her career took an unexpected turn when Wayland Hicks, then a senior executive, offered Burns a job as his executive assistant. Initially fearing that this would be a dead-end job, she accepted anyway and quickly rose through the ranks. In June 1991, she became executive assistant to then chairman and chief executive Paul Allaire. In 1999, she was named vice president for global manufacturing.

In 2000, Burns was named a senior vice president and began working closely with soon to be CEO Anne Mulcahy, in what both women have described as a true partnership. Nine years later, in July 2009, she was named CEO, succeeding Mulcahy, who remained as chairwoman until May 2010.

Community activities

Burns has served on numerous professional and community boards, including Exxon Mobil Corporation,American Express, Boston Scientific, FIRST, National Association of Manufacturers, University of Rochester, the MIT Corporation, the Rochester Business Alliance, and the RUMP Group. She will serve as Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee of The Business Council in 2013 and 2014.

She was the Commencement speaker at MIT's 2011 Commencement, which was also the conclusion of MIT's 150th anniversary celebration. She delivered the 2011 Commencement address at the University of Rochester She was the 2012 Commencement speaker for Xavier University of Louisiana's May 12 Commencement ceremony, where she also received an honorary degree, one of the institution's highest honors.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

Burns married Lloyd Bean, who also worked at Xerox, and she resides in Rochester, New York. She has a daughter Melissa (born c. 1992) and a stepson Malcolm (born c. 1989) who attends MIT.

External links

• "Ursula M. Burns", Black Entrepreneur Profile Website
• Ursula Burns Video produced by Makers: Women Who Make America

Business positions
Preceded by Anne Mulcahy	President of Xerox 2007–2009	Vacant
	Chief Executive Officer of Xerox 2009–present	Incumbent
	Chairperson of Xerox 2010–present