Chairman & CEO of Xerox Corporation, Ursula Burns Addresses The Executives' Club of Chicago at the June 1 Global Leaders Luncheon, Fueling Technology & Innovation with the Right People at the Right Time to Drive Real Business

CHICAGO, June 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- "Work hard and take advantage of opportunities – and when you are young – do what you love," advice from Ursula Burns, Chairman & CEO, Xerox Corporation, kept a large and diverse audience at rapt attention during an Executives' Club luncheon at the Hilton Chicago on June 1, 2011.  

Burns, who has been CEO of Xerox since 2009 and Chairman since 2010 talked briefly about her personal story growing up in poverty in Manhattan with a strong and value driven single mother who believed in the mantra, "where you are is not who you are." and who viewed a good education as a way "up and out."

Burns focused the bulk of her talk on US competitiveness and how the US has been world leader and is now falling behind – moving from 1st to 17th in math and science education in less than ten years.  She touched on explosive growth in China and India calling it admirable and good that these countries are moving up – but also expressing concern that the US is no longer leading but moving behind.  

"We have to fix our K-12 education system," Burns said, to fill growing high skill job demands without the well- educated and talented workforce to fill them.  She urged her listeners to get involved in education reform – to waste no time in doing our part, as individuals, businesses and parents to make our schools better.      

After her presentation Ms. Burns posed for a picture with Keena Preston, Tasia Thomas, Tia Thomas and Alexa Lenior members of the Southside Divas from Girl Scout Troop 60036 as well as their troop leaders, Wona Lenior and Aisha Hill-Preston and Carol Long. Also pictured are: Connie Lindsey, Executive Vice President, Northern Trust and Board Member of The Executives' Club of Chicago, Maria Wynne, President & CEO, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and NW Indiana and Melissa Bean, President & CEO, The Executives' Club of Chicago.  

The Southside Divas placed third out of 13 teams at the Regional Lego Robotics competition in December 2010, winning the Challenge Project which enabled the team to advance to the state competition. At the state level, the South Side Divas competed against 63 other statewide finalists and placed 47th in the final round.

In addition to the Lego Robotics program, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana offers more than 40 different workshops, camps and overnights per year that provide girls with unique opportunities to explore all aspects of our Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) curriculum, including career exploration.

Wednesday's Executives' Club Technology Summit, Tech Tools & Tips to Maximize Your Personal Productivity, was developed in collaboration with The Mayor's Council of Technology Advisors and The Wall Street Journal. The summit featured eight different segments including the Global Leaders Luncheon with Ursula Burns.

The summit kicked off with a breakfast program, Trends, Technology and Taking the Lead, which featured a keynote address from Scott Klososky, Founder & Chairman of the Board, Alkami.

Three breakout sessions followed breakfast. Topics included: Making Money with Mobile Computing, Building Your Business Through Social Media and LinkedIn and the Age of Engagement. The summit concluded with a Technology Conference, Innovation's Impact on the Bottom Line, during which Tom Kuczmarski, Co-Founder of the Chicago Innovation Awards moderated a panel who discussed how to leverage applications in order to enhance business models to produce products, services, jobs and profitability.

Attendees were also able to take advantage of small group off-site breakout sessions at the Microsoft Technology Center and CME Group's Global Command Center.

Additional information The Executives' Club of Chicago can be found at http://centennial.executivesclub.org.

About The Executives' Club of Chicago

The Executives' Club of Chicago (EC) is a business forum for thought leadership, education and best business practices. Founded in 1911, the EC is one of the oldest and most respected business organizations in the Midwest. The Club serves the community by providing information and resources needed to establish effective global partnerships, enhance intellectual exchange, develop future diverse business leaders and promote Chicago as a world class business center.

SOURCE The Executives' Club of Chicago