William T. Harris oversees the strategic direction of Space Center Houston, which serves as the official visitor centre of the NASA Johnson Space Center. With approximately 450 employees and contractors, Space Center Houston is the top international attraction in the greater Houston area, generating a $118.7m annual economic impact, 1,710 jobs and $53.7m in personal income. The center is a non-profit Smithsonian affiliate.
“Many of the science centres in the United States and around the world have partnerships with commercial companies and government, etc. But we’re taking it to a new level here. We are, if you will, the crossroads of government space agencies like NASA, the private sector, academia, and nonprofit organizations,” Harris told blooloop.
Harris joined the center in April 2016 and has more than 37 years’ experience in nonprofit leadership, including senior positions at museums and universities. In these roles, he led many multimillion-dollar fundraising efforts. Harris previously worked at the California Science Center as senior vice president of development and marketing. He was a leader on the team to bring the Space Shuttle Endeavour to the venue.
“One of my projects was helping to bring it to Los Angeles, moving it through 12 miles of the city. I was responsible for raising the resources and doing community outreach engagement around this project. It involved working closely with a team from NASA over a year. They were impressed with all we were doing,” he said.
Harris is the chair of the board of directors and executive committee of the Association of Science and Technology Centers. He is also a member of the board of directors and chair of the grants committee for the QueensCare Charitable Foundation, a member of the board of directors for the Greater Houston Partnership, and serves as board vice president of the Association of Science Museum Directors.