Ursula M. Burns (born September 20, 1958) currently serves as CEO of Xerox Corporation, named to that position in June 2009. Ursula is the first African-American woman to head a S&P 100 company.She previously served as president of the company’s Business Group Operations, corporate senior vice president, and president.
Burns joined Xerox in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern. She subsequently held several positions in engineering, including product development and planning. In June 1991 she became the executive assistant to Paul Allaire, then Xerox chairman and chief executive officer.
From 1992 through 2000, Burns led several business teams, including the office color and fax business, office network copying business and the departmental business unit. In May 2000, she was named senior vice president, Corporate Strategic Services, and most recently, president of the Document Systems and Solutions Group.
Burns received a bachelor of science degree from Polytechnic Institute of New York University (NYU) in 1980 and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University in 1981. She serves on professional and community boards, including American Express, Boston Scientific, FIRST, National Association of Manufacturers, University of Rochester, the MIT Corporation, the Rochester Business Alliance and the RUMP Group.
Burns married her husband, Lloyd Bean, in October 1988. She resides in Rochester, New York, New York City, and Bermuda. She has a daughter and a stepson.
She is very inspiring.