Leland served as co-chair of the White House's Federal Coordination in STEM Education Task Force, developing the nation's plan for STEM education.
Leland operated the robotic arm aboard the Space Shuttle to help build the International Space Station.
On August 28, 2012, Leland collaborated with Wili.i.am to broadcast the first song in history from another planet, "Reach for the Stars", completed a journey of more than 300 million miles between Mars and Earth.
Leland served as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Associate Administrator for Education and chaired the International Space Education Board.
Leland wrote a chapter on the power of visualization in Venus Williams' book "Come to Win".
Drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 1986 NFL College Draft.
Leland is a veteran of two space flights, STS-122 in 2008, and STS-129 in 2009, Leland Melvin has logged over 565 hours in space.