Where You Are Is Not Who You Are

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The first Black female CEO of a Fortune 500 company reflects on her life and career at Xerox, offering insights on American business, racial and economic justice, and the threats of greed to democracy. Ursula Burns, who became CEO in 2009, challenges the narrative surrounding her appointment, emphasizing that the focus should have been on how Xerox produced its first African American woman CEO rather than merely celebrating her achievement. In this candid memoir and cultural critique, Burns recounts her journey from tenement housing on Manhattan’s Lower East Side to corporate leadership. She credits her success to her mother, Olga Racquel Burns, a single Panamanian who instilled in her the belief that there were no limits to what her children could achieve. Her dedication to education and her ability to leverage opportunities from the Civil Rights and Women’s movements propelled her into engineering at the Polytechnic Institute of New York. Throughout her 35-year career at Xerox, Burns navigated a predominantly white male environment, confronting stereotypes and barriers. She was instrumental in saving the company from bankruptcy and executing a significant acquisition. Additionally, her collaboration with President Obama on his STEM initiative and as Chair of his Export Council highlights her influence in both corporate and political spheres. With empathy and pragmatism, Burns critiques corporate culture's impact on democ