Joan Higginbotham

Author of
Boundless: Life Lessons of a NASA Pioneer (Storehouse Voices/PRH, 2027)

Joan Higginbotham is a retired NASA astronaut, a real-life rocket scientist, and a trailblazing electrical engineer, who in December 2006, flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery as a crew member of mission STS-116 to become the third African American woman to travel into space.

Widely recognized for her accomplishments, Higginbotham has been honored by President George W. Bush at the 81st White House Black History Month Celebration, featured in Alicia Keys’ “Superwoman” video, is the recipient of the National Space Medal, the Adler Planetarium Women in Space Award, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal. Higginbotham was also named one of Savoy Magazine’s Top Influential Women in Corporate America and one of Essence Magazine’s Top 50 Women, among numerous other accolades. She’s been profiled or featured in publications such as Ebony, Essence, Glamour, HuffPo, and Women’s Health; and she’s repeatedly appeared on local and regional news broadcasts for NBC and CBS. A seasoned and highly sought-after motivational speaker, Higginbotham has delivered corporate talks and fire-side chats at Fortune 500 companies such as Amazon, Liberty Mutual, Meta, Microsoft, and PNC. She’s spoken at major conferences such as TEDxBermuda and SXSW. She’s delivered commencement and keynote speeches at multiple colleges and universities, and she’s appeared as a guest speaker at space centers and museums around the world. Born in Chicago, Joan currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina.

JoanHigginbotham.net / Represented by Kayla Lightner

Books by JoAn