Ursula Burns

Ursula M. Burns was the first Black woman to serve as CEO of a Fortune 500 company when she became chief executive of Xerox Corporation in 2009. She was also the first woman to succeed another woman as CEO of a Fortune 500 company, taking over from Anne Mulcahy. In an era when Fortune 500 leadership remains overwhelmingly white and male, Burns's achievement stands as both a breakthrough and an indictment of how rarely such breakthroughs occur.

Born on September 20, 1958, on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Burns grew up in the Baruch Houses, a public housing project. Her mother ran a daycare center in their home to pay for Catholic school tuition, telling her children that education was the way out. Burns earned her bachelor's from NYU Polytechnic and a master's in mechanical engineering from Columbia.

Burns joined Xerox as a summer intern in 1980 and rose through the company over 29 years, holding roles in product development, manufacturing, and corporate strategy before becoming CEO. She led Xerox through its transformation from a copier company to a services and technology company, completing the $6.4 billion acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services. She served as chair of the President's Export Council under Obama and has served on the boards of ExxonMobil, Uber, and other major companies.