America's Leading Social Entrepreneur

Bill Strickland delivers a talk entitled “Rebuilding Communities, Reshaping Lives: The Transformative Power of the Arts and Entrepreneurship.”

"Bill Strickland is quite simply the most inspiring human being and one of the most mesmerizing speakers I have ever met. Not because he is brash or boastful, but because he uses his authentic personality to communicate a powerful message of change, hope, and making a difference," Fast Company magazine founder, Alan Webber.

Arts innovator, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, adviser to U.S. Presidents and the National Endowment for the Arts, social entrepreneur, inner-city revitalizer, job creator, workforce educator. All these terms are used to describe Bill Strickland, but none captures the essence of this remarkable social activist and business leader. His message, based on an astonishing record of achievement and dramatic impact on the lives of young people, provides inspiration to anyone preparing to tackle society's toughest problems. Strickland is President and CEO of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and the Bidwell Training Center, Inc. in Pittsburgh, PA. Through these organizations, he works to re-shape communities and to give young people an opportunity to develop their artistic talents, prepare for 21st Century jobs, and break the insidious cycle of poverty. His work is supported by numerous foundations, major corporations, the legendary musical producer Quincy Jones, and eBay founder Jeff Skoll.

Based in Pittsburgh, with new operations in San Francisco, Baltimore, Kansas City and Cincinnati, his impressive organization now includes a 350-seat performing arts center, a world-class recording studio, art studios, a computer technology center, vocational training facilities, and a medical technology complex. Strickland serves on numerous boards, ranging from Americans for the Arts to the Carnegie Endowment to the Mellon Financial Corporation. He has lectured on the arts, community development, and social enterprise at Harvard, Stanford, and Northwestern. Bill Strickland holds a BA, cum laude, in American history and international relations from the University of Pittsburgh.