Who: Patricia Russo, Chief Executive Officer, Lucent Technologies

Spent eight years in sales and marketing at IBM before joining AT&T in 1981, where she turned around the company's flailing business communications unit. Russo moved up the corporate ladder steadily and was with Lucent in 1996 when it was spun off from the long-distance giant. In 2001, Russo left to become the president of Kodak, only to return to Lucent nine months later as CEO.

First paying job: Worked in a fabric store, cutting fabrics and selling material and other goods.

Education: B.A. in political science and history from Georgetown University, 1973. Completed an Advanced Management Program at Harvard in 1989.

What you may not know: Russo is a one-time lottery winner. Her father on a whim bought seven lottery tickets, one in each of his kids' names. The one with her name on it won $5,000. It went toward college.

Personal: Born 1952 in Trenton, N.J.; One of seven children; Resident of Bernardsville, N.J.; Married to Frank Russo, with two stepchildren and five grandchildren.

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Lucent Technologies company history

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