Rockhurst University announced last Thursday that United States astronaut Scott Kelley will serve as the guest speaker for the University’s Leadership series, set to take place in April of 2017.

Widely known for spending nearly a year on the International Space Station, Kelley brings his experience in space to Rockhurst in his presentation, “The Sky Is Not the Limit: Leadership Lessons from a Year in Space.” According to the University’s website, Kelley will present “a selection of those breathtaking views of the cosmos, along with insights into the challenges he faced in such a demanding environment and what he believes in the future of space travel.

Born in a New Jersey suburb, Kelly had many aspirations as a young kid, “I was interested in being an astronaut like a lot of kids are, because it seems like an exciting job,” said in a 2010 interview with NASA. “I was also interested in playing baseball for the Mets and race car driving, and other more realistic things … Eventually I decided I wanted to be a pilot in the Navy.”

As the current record-holder for hours logged in space by a U.S. astronaut, Kelly took place in four separate space missions while with NASA from 1996 to 2016. Kelley retired in March of this year. The astronaut also plans to publish his account of his space journey in 2017 in Endurance: My Year in Space and Our Journey to Mars.

Previous speakers of the Rockhurst Leadership Series include political commentator and columnist George F. Will, CBS News anchor Dan Rather, former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and most recently, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

When: Tuesday, April 4, 2017

Where: Muehlebach Tower at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown

Tickets: Limited number of tickets available after Jan. 1, 2017

Questions: Contact Rockhurst University’s Office of Advancement, 816-501-4199 or [email protected]