Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. was selected by NASA in January 1990 and officially became an astronaut in July 1991.  He was qualified for the mission specialist position on Space Shuttle flight crews. Dr. Harris made history during his second mission, STS-63 in February 1995, when he became the first African American to perform a spacewalk.  He logged over 438 hours in space and traveled approximately 7.2 million miles during his NASA career.  After leaving NASA in 1996, Dr. Harris pursued further education, earning a master’s degree in biomedical science from the University of Texas Medical Branch and an MBA from the University of Houston.  He has since been involved in various ventures, including serving as CEO of Vesalius Ventures, a venture capital accelerator investing in early-stage companies in medical informatics and technology.  Dr. Harris is also the founder of The Harris Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting education, health, and wealth in disadvantaged communities.