Who Runs The World? 10 of The Most Successful Black Women

Ursula Burns, President of Xerox

Burns was named to her position in April 2007, and also holds a seat on the Board of Directors.

Burns joined Xerox as a summer intern in 1980, and worked her way up at Xerox after obtaining a B.S. from Polytechnic Institute of New York and a Master's in Engineering from Columbia.

She also serves on the boards of American Express Corp., Boston Scientific Corp., and CASA

Susan Chapman, Global Head of Operations, Citigroup Realty Services

Chapman manages the day-today operations for Citigroup Realty in 96 countries.

She holds the No. 2 spot in the business unit, and is responsible for overseeing mergers and acquisitions, retail branch development, real estate administration, strategic projects and global business relationship management.

She was named to Black Enterprise magazine's Hot List for up and coming businesspeople under 40

Michelle Obama

First African American First Lady and wife of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States and the first African American to serve as president.

Former vice president of community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

In 1996, she joined the University of Chicago as associate dean of student services, and established its first community service program.

Amy Ellis-Simon, Managing Director, Convertible Sales, Merrill Lynch

Ellis-Simon is the MD and head of the Multiproduct Sales Team, which deals with a wide range of equity and debt products, including convertibles, equity derivatives and fixed income.

She's co-founder of the Global Markets and Investment Banking Women's Leadership Council, a founder and chairperson of Three Sisters Scholarship Foundation, and a member of the Employee Diversity Council.

In 2004, Ellis-Simon was named as one of the “Top 40 under 40” by Crain's magazine. She joined Merrill Lynch as an analyst after graduating from the University of Michigan in in 1994.

Mellody Hobson, President, Ariel Capital Management L.L.C.

Hobson heads the nation's largest black-owned money management firm, Chicago-based Ariel Capital, with $21.43 billion in assets under management.

As manager of all business operations outside of research and portfolio management, she oversees client services and investment planning. She also chairs the Ariel Mutual Funds Board of Trustees.

Hobson is a regular commentator on ABC's Good Morning America and has defended the mutual fund industry in testimony before Congress.

Oprah

In 1988, Harpo Productions, Inc. acquired ownership and all production responsibilities for The Oprah Winfrey Show from Capitol Cities/ABC, making Oprah Winfrey the first woman in history to own and produce her own talk show.

She is co-founder of  the successful cable station Oxygen  and later OWN, the Oprah Winfrey Network.

In the 2008 presidential election, Winfrey publicly endorsed a political candidate for the first time, hosting a fundraiser for Senator Barack Obama and appearing with him at campaign events.

Melissa James, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

James runs the Relationship Lending Business in Morgan Stanley's Loan Products Group, where she isresponsible for managing over $25 billion in loan commitments.

Before she became a managing director, James headed the company's industrial origination effort, where she helped raise billions in capital for corporate clients and worked on complex transactions,including the first domestic yen issuance for General Electric Capital Corp., the first global bond for DuPont, and the $4 billion initial public offering of Agere Systems.

She is also a member of the firm's Capital Commitment Committee. James joined Morgan Stanley as a Financial Analyst in 1985 after graduating from Yale College and returned in 1989 after receiving herMBA from Harvard Business School.

Beyonce

One of the most recognizable characters in modern-day R&B, Beyoncé first rose to fame as the siren-voiced centerpiece of Destiny's Child before embarking on a multi-platinum solo career in 2001.

Booming record sales, Grammy awards, movie roles, and a romance with rapper/CEO Jay-Zcombined to heighten her profile in the 2000s, making the singer a virtual mainstay in the entertainment world.

While some media outlets derisively championed Paris Hilton as "the next Marilyn Monroe," Beyoncé was a much better contender for the role, her glittering pop culture persona only matched by her success onscreen and on record.