Ursula Burns

Born in 1958, Burns was raised by a single mother in the Baruch Houses, a housing project in New York City. Both of her parents were Panamanian immigrants. She attended and graduated Cathedral High School, where in 1980 she earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering During that summer, she became a mechanical engineering summer intern at Xerox. This internship was an integral component of Xerox's graduate engineering initiative designed to support underrepresented minorities. It not only provided her with valuable experience but also financially supported her pursuit of a master's degree at Columbia University, Williams College, the University of Pennsylvania, Howard University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, The City College of New York, Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), the University of Rochester, Xavier University, and Georgetown University. ==Business career==

Xerox Burns began her journey with Xerox as a summer intern in 1980 In June 1991, she then became executive assistant to then-chairman and chief executive Paul Allaire. In 1999, she was named vice-president for global manufacturing. In July 2009 she was named CEO, succeeding Mulcahy, who remained as chairwoman until May 2010. The first black woman CEO to head a Fortune 500 company, In 2016, she led Xerox in a split into two independent companies: Xerox Corporation and Conduent Incorporated. After stepping down from the position in December 2016, Burns was succeeded by Jeff Jacobson. She retained the title of chairwoman of the newly formed document technology company Board roles Burns has been on numerous boards, including those of Exxon Mobil Corporation, American Express Corporation, Datto Inc., Nestlé, Burns joined the board of directors of Uber in late September 2017. In 2020, she was appointed to the board of directors of Waystar. Burns also remains on the boards of Endeavor Group Holdings and IHS Holding. In addition, Burns is on several private company boards, while also providing leadership counsel to several community, educational and non-profit organizations including the Ford Foundation, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Mayo Clinic, amongst others. In April 2024, Burns was nominated for the board of directors of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Veon In July 2017, Burns was elected chairman of VEON, the world's 11th largest telecom service provider by subscribers, by its board of directors. With the sudden departure of the CEO in March 2018, she was made executive chairwoman pending a selection process, and in December 2018, she was appointed as CEO. In February 2020, Kaan Terzioğlu and Sergi Herrero were appointed co-CEOs, succeeding Burns. In June 2020, Gennady Gazin succeeded Burns as chairman. Diageo Burns was announced to be joining Diageo board as a non-executive director, but Diageo announced in March 2018 that "Burns will not take up her appointment as Non-Executive Director on the Diageo Board" as she has been appointed as interim Executive Chairman of VEON. Integrum Holdings In 2021, Burns partnered with Tagar Olson and Richard Kunzer to co-found private equity firm Integrum Holdings. The firm, which raised $1.1bn for its inaugural fund, focuses on technology-enabled services companies. == Public service ==

U.S. President Barack Obama appointed Burns to help lead the White House National STEM program in 2009, and she remained a leader of the STEM program until 2016. ==Community activities==

Burns provides leadership counsel to community, educational, and non-profit organizations including FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), National Academy Foundation, MIT, and the U.S. Olympic Committee, among others. She was vice chairwoman of the executive committee of The Business Council between 2013 and 2014. She has delivered the commencement address at universities including Rochester Institute of Technology, MIT, the University of Rochester, Xavier University, Howard University, Williams College, and Georgetown University. In 2016, hacked emails suggested she was on a list of potential candidates for vice-president for Hillary Clinton. ==Personal life==

Burns was married to Lloyd Bean until his death in 2019; he also worked at Xerox, and they lived in Rochester, New York. She has a daughter Melissa (born c. 1992) and a stepson Malcolm (born c. 1989) who attended MIT. Burns delivered the MIT commencement address at her son's graduation in 2011. Two years prior, she delivered the commencement address at Rochester Institute of Technology. Burns has contributed to McQuaid Jesuit High School in New York. ==Memoir==

Burns published a memoir, Where You Are Is Not Who You Are: A Memoir, in 2021. == See also ==