Ursula Burns is an American business executive and the first African-American woman to become CEO of a Fortune 500 company. She was born in 1958 in New York City and grew up in the city's public housing projects. She attended NYU and Columbia University, where she earned a master's degree in mechanical engineering. Burns began her career at Xerox in 1980 and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 2009. During her tenure, she led the company through a successful turnaround and was named one of Fortune's Most Powerful Women in Business. She retired from Xerox in 2016 and now serves on the boards of several major companies. Burns is a champion of diversity and inclusion in the workplace and has been recognized for her leadership and philanthropic efforts.