by BLACK ENTERPRISE Editors
Could 30, 2026
Harris shall be honored for his decades-long contributions to science, schooling, and management throughout the convention
Former NASA astronaut and doctor Dr. Bernard A. Harris Jr. will obtain an XCEL Award on the 2026 BLACK ENTERPRISE XCEL Summit for Males, happening in Orlando, Florida, on the the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress on Oct. 21-Oct. 23, 2026.
Harris shall be honored for his decades-long contributions to science, schooling, and management throughout the convention, which focuses on management growth, profession development, and networking alternatives for males of shade in enterprise {and professional} industries.
Harris made historical past in 1995 as the primary African American astronaut to finish a spacewalk throughout NASA’s STS-63 mission aboard the house shuttle Discovery. Throughout his profession with NASA, Harris logged greater than 438 hours in house and traveled greater than seven million miles.
Mike Foale, NASA Astronaut & Spacewalk Accomplice, mirrored on Harris and his journey.
“Bernard Harris did the primary EVA by an African American, and it was an enormous deal. Bernard was cool about it, however from a historic and US— even a world— societal perspective, it was vital.”
Along with his achievements in aerospace, Harris has constructed a profession in drugs, enterprise capital, and STEM schooling advocacy. He’s the founding father of The Harris Basis, a company that helps math and science schooling initiatives for underserved college students. Harris additionally beforehand served as CEO of Vesalius Ventures, a healthcare funding agency centered on medical applied sciences and innovation. Harris was additionally inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Corridor of Fame in 2025 and has acquired the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.
BLACK ENTERPRISE will spotlight Harris’ affect throughout science, enterprise, and schooling at The XCEL Summit for Males, which yearly brings collectively executives, entrepreneurs, and cultural leaders for panel discussions, workshops, and mentorship alternatives centered on skilled progress and group management.
Further audio system and honorees for the 2026 convention are anticipated to be introduced within the coming months.
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