On the first Monday of Black History Month, we are celebrating with an inspirational leadership quote from an extraordinary Black figure, Ursula Burns.
Ursula Burns (1958-) is an American businesswoman best known for being the first Black woman CEO of a Fortune 500 company, Xerox.
Burns was born and raised in New York. She obtained her bachelor's degree from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute and her master's degree from Columbia University. Following her success in business, she has received several honorary degrees from numerous universities and colleges.
Burns spent most of her career working for the Xerox Corporation, beginning as a summer intern in 1980. Climbing up the corporate food chain, she was appointed to her first senior management position in 2000. Seven years later, in 2007, Burns was appointed president of Xerox. In 2009, she was named CEO, making her the first African American woman to be appointed to this position at Fortune 500 company, which she held until 2016. Additionally, she was Xerox's chairwoman from 2010 until 2017, when she left the company.
As an accomplished businesswoman, Burns has also held several board positions in prominent US corporations, such as American Express, Exxon Mobile, Nestlé and Uber, among others. Outside the business world, President Barack Obama appointed Burns to lead the White House National STEM Programme in 2009, a position she held until the change of administration in 2016. She also served on the President's Export Council from 2010 until 2016.
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