Carly Fiorina Fast Facts

Here's a look at the life of Carly S. Fiorina, former Hewlett-Packard CEO and former 2016 Republican presidential candidate.

Personal: Birth date: September 6, 1954

Birth place: Austin, Texas

Birth name: Cara Carleton Sneed

Father: Joseph T. Sneed, III, federal judge and law professor

Mother: Madelon Montross Juergens, artist (abstract painter)

Marriages: Frank Fiorina (1985-present); Todd Bartlem (June 1977-1984, divorced)

Children: Two stepdaughters with Frank Fiorina: Traci, 1971 and Lori Ann, 1974-2009

Education: Stanford University, B.A., 1976; University of Maryland, M.B.A., 1980; Massachusetts Institute of Technology, M.S., 1989; attended UCLA School of Law

Other Facts: Was the first woman to head a Fortune 500 company and a company in the Dow Jones Industrial Average when she became CEO and president of Hewlett-Packard Company in 1999.

Was the first person to head HP who came from outside the company.

Was the first female officer at AT&T when she was 35. By the age of 40 she was leading AT&T's North American operations.

Began her career as a secretary in a real estate office.

Timeline: 1980 - Begins working for AT&T as a sales representative.

April 1996 - Oversees Lucent Technologies, Inc. $3 billion initial public offering when it is spun off from AT&T.

1998 - Becomes president of Lucent Technologies' global service-provider division.

1998-2003 - Leads Fortune magazine's list of the 50 most powerful women.

1999-2005 - CEO of Hewlett-Packard.

2000 - HP names Fiorina chairman of the board.

September 3, 2001 - Hewlett-Packard buys Compaq Computer Corp., a move orchestrated by Fiorina amid opposition from both the Hewlett and the Packard families.

February 8, 2005 - Resigns as HP CEO.

October 9, 2006 - Publishes a memoir, "Tough Choices."

October 2007 - Becomes a business commentator on the Fox Business Network.

2008 - Serves as economic adviser to John McCain during his presidential campaign.

February 20, 2009 - Is diagnosed with breast cancer at age 54.

November 2, 2010 - Loses her bid to unseat California Senator Barbara Boxer. She campaigns against President Barack Obama's Affordable Healthcare Act and abortion rights.

2014 - Launches the Unlocking Potential Project, a political action committee that aims to inform women voters about conservative positions and issues.

February 24, 2015 - Supporters launch Carly for America, a super PAC to support Fiorina's presidential bid.

May 4, 2015 - Announces her candidacy for president, becoming the first declared female candidate to seek the Republican Party's nomination.

May 5, 2015 - Her book, "Rising to the Challenge: My Leadership Journey," is released.

February 10, 2016 - Suspends her candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination.

March 9, 2016 - Fiorina endorses Texas Senator Ted Cruz at a rally in Miami.

April 27, 2016 - Ted Cruz formally names Fiorina as his vice presidential running mate. Cruz suspends his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on May 3, 2016.

April 18, 2017 - Fiorina is "strongly considering" a run to unseat Hillary Clinton's former running mate Tim Kaine for Virginia senator in 2018, an adviser to the former Hewlett-Packard CEO tells CNN. Frank Sadler says Fiorina will likely make a formal decision about running for Senate in the fall.