Black History Month: Ursula Burns (1958-)

February is Black History Month. Throughout this month The Royal Gazette will feature people, events, places and institutions that have contributed to the shaping of African history.


Ursula Burns, the chairwoman and former chief executive officer of Xerox, began life in a Lower East Side housing project in New York City. Burns was born on September 20, 1958 to a single mother. She was sent to Catholic school as a child to get the best education available.

In 1980, Burns obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from New York University’s Polytechnic Institute. That summer she began her journey at Xerox as a mechanical engineering summer intern.

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