Aerospace and defense company Raytheon Technologies’ board of directors has elected Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. as a director.
Harris is a former NASA astronaut and currently CEO of Vesalius Ventures, a venture capital firm.
Raytheon Technologies is honored to have Harris join its board, said Raytheon Technologies CEO Greg Hayes.
“His groundbreaking work in space and his impressive leadership across business, education and healthcare are remarkable,” Hayes added. “We expect our management team, employees and shareowners will benefit from his extensive experience and from the leadership he demonstrates in community development.”
Harris has logged more than 438 hours and traveled over 7.2 million miles in space. Selected into the Astronaut Corps in January 1990, he was a mission specialist on the space shuttle Columbia in 1993 and a payload commander on the space shuttle Discovery in 1995, becoming the first African American to walk in space. He has a doctorate of medicine from Texas Tech University School of Medicine.
“I am truly honored by this opportunity. I am professionally and personally aligned to the very causes that are at the heart of Raytheon Technologies: Space exploration, innovation, education and the importance of the corporation as a positive force in community development,” Harris said.