Posted at: 10/06/2009 4:50 PM | WHEC.com
Updated at: 10/06/2009 8:41 PM
By: Jennifer Johnson

Xerox CEO in Rochester today

When she speaks, people listen. Ursula Burns, the CEO of Xerox spoke today at an event for the YWCA in downtown Rochester. The crowd was huge, double than originally expected. They heard, the secrets of the world's 14th most powerful woman according to Forbes.

The applause was thunderous, even before she shared her story that begins with her late mother. "Her mission was to assure her three kids that they had opportunities to succeed and to be strong and that when they were successful that they did not lose sight of the fact that there is more to success than just money or position," Burns said.

She knows about money, making more than $6-million last year. She knows about position, the first African American female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. But she also knows family is important. She turns off the Blackberry during dinner with her kids and husband when she is at their home in Rochester.

Like many women, she says life would be impossible without the help of her husband, her sister and brother. She makes time to work out and loves to read, especially People magazine. She calls it a regular life. "I just worked and had a great place to work and a great set of background so its celebrating a regular life is what this whole fire storm is about, about me being the first black female CEO so I'm happy with that."
Xerox is headquartered in Connecticut and Burns has a house there but she does consider Rochester home and does follow the projects and the politics here.

She was asked about Renaissance Square and said for the people who pay taxes and want solutions, work together and just solve the problem.

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