Source: Xerox Corporation

Ursula Burns

Raised in a New York City housing project by a single mother who ironed clothes and ran a daycare to make ends meet, Ursula Burns climbed from intern to CEO—and rewrote the rules along the way.

Rags To Riches Story

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      Ursula joined Xerox as a summer intern in the 1980s and never left. Through sheer talent and relentless determination, she rose through the ranks, breaking barriers in an industry dominated by men—and often, not many people of color. In 2009, she became the first Black woman to lead a Fortune 500 company, and the first woman to succeed another woman as CEO in such a firm. Her leadership not only reshaped Xerox’s future but inspired a generation of women and minority leaders across industries.

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