Ursula Burns was the Xerox CEO who became the first African American woman to lead a Fortune 500 company. She took over as chief executive in July 2009, succeeding Anne Mulcahy.
Burns joined Xerox as a mechanical-engineering intern in 1980 and became a full-time employee after completing her master's degree at Columbia University. She advanced through engineering, manufacturing, strategic planning, and operational leadership roles before becoming Xerox president in 2007.
Her promotion was historic for two reasons: Burns was the first Black woman to head a Fortune 500 company, and she was also the first woman to succeed another woman as the head of one. As CEO, she oversaw Xerox's acquisition of Affiliated Computer Services and later led the 2016 separation of Xerox's document-technology business from Conduent.
A common mix-up is Anne Mulcahy, who was Xerox's CEO immediately before Burns and played an important role in the company's earlier recovery. Oprah Winfrey and Mary Barra are also prominent business leaders, but neither fits this Xerox milestone.