Raytheon appoints groundbreaking NASA astronaut to its board.

• Author: Wenger, Barbara
• Position: DIRECTORS & BOARDS' DIRECTORS ROSTER

Bernard A. Harris Jr., an experienced business leader with significant accomplishments in space exploration and advancement of emerging technologies, has been elected to the board of Raytheon Technologies Corporation. Harris is currently CEO of Vesalius Ventures, a venture capital firm that invests in early- to mid-stage technologies and companies.

"His groundbreaking work in space and his impressive leadership across business, education and healthcare are remarkable," said Raytheon Technologies CEO Gregory Hayes. "We expect our management team, employees and shareholders will benefit from his extensive experience and from the leadership he demonstrates in community development."

As an astronaut, Harris logged more than 438 hours and 7.2 million miles in space. 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. While at NASA, he conducted research in musculoskeletal physiology and developed in-flight medical devices to extend astronaut stays in space. In 1998, he established the Harris Foundation, a nonprofit that invests in community-based initiatives to...