Ever wondered if it is really possible to start at the very bottom of an organization and work
your way to the top? That's just what Ursula M. Burns was able to do. Burns, who started
her career at the Xerox Corp. in 1980 as a mechanical engineering summer intern, rose
through the ranks and was named president of the Fortune 500 company in 2007.
On Nov. 4 at 1 p.m., the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University will host
Burns in a free Berman Lecture. Her presentation, "Lessons of Leadership: Bold Bets and
Back to Basics," will take place in the Lender Auditorium, on the Concourse level of the
Whitman School building. It is open to the public. Paid parking is available at the University
Avenue Garage.
Today, Burns is responsible for Xerox's global research, development, engineering,
marketing and manufacturing of Xerox technology, supplies and related services. She also
oversees global accounts, information management, corporate strategy, human resources
and ethics, and marketing operations. Burns holds a bachelor's degree from the Polytechnic
Institute of New York and a master's degree from Columbia University, and was recently
named to Forbes' 2008 "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" list. She is one of a very few
African American women with her status in the business world.
Burns' lecture is part of the Martin and Phyllis Berman Distinguished Lecture Series, which
brings prominent business leaders to Whitman to share their expertise and perspectives with
the University community and Central New York executives.
For more information, contact Amy Mehringer, Whitman communications manager, at
(315) 443-3834 or aemehrin@syr.edu.
