Dr. Bernard A. Harris, Jr. – Retired Astronaut & Venture Capitalist

Bernard Harris was born in Houston, TX, but would move at the age of 6 with his mother to a rural area of New Mexico, where they would reside until they relocated to San Antonio, TX during his high school years. His time in New Mexico engendered in him the desire to become an astronaut, and after completing his college degree at University of Houston, he gained admission into medical school at Texas Tech University. Following his residency at Mayo Clinic, he would have an opportunity to work in various positions as a researcher at NASA, and while at NASA, he conducted research in musculoskeletal physiology and clinical investigations of space adaptation and developed in-flight medical devices to extend Astronaut stays in space. Following an unsuccessful application for the Astronaut program, he would be offered a position at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, and would upon his second application be admitted into the Astronaut corps. 

Dr. Harris logged more than 438 hours and traveled over 7.2 million miles in space, and on his 2nd mission would become the first African American to complete a space walk. Following his career as an astronaut, he launched a venture capital firm and the Harris Institute & Foundation. He currently serves as CEO of the National Math + Science Initiative.