Bill Strickland | |
---|---|
Born | [1] | August 25, 1947
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of Pittsburgh |
Occupation(s) | Community leader and author |
Organization | Manchester Bidwell Corporation |
William E. Strickland (born August 25, 1947, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) is an American community leader, author, and the former President and CEO of the non-profit Manchester Bidwell Corporation based in Pittsburgh. The company's subsidiaries, the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild and Bidwell Training Center, work with disadvantaged and at-risk youth through involvement with the arts and provides job training for adults, respectively. Strickland is a winner of a MacArthur "Genius" Award and the 2011 Goi Peace Award.
Strickland grew up in the Manchester neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Oliver High School.[2] He then attended the University of Pittsburgh, where as an undergraduate he founded the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild as an after-school program to teach children pottery skill in his old neighborhood.[3] He graduated cum laude with a bachelor's degree in American history and foreign relations in 1970.[4] Following graduation he continued to build the Manchester Guild into an innovative nonprofit agency that uses the arts to inspire and mentor inner-city teenagers.[5] In 1972 he took over the Bidwell Training Center that trains displaced adults for jobs.[6]
He has served on the boards of the National Endowment for the Arts, Mellon Financial Corporation, and the University of Pittsburgh.[7] For his work, Strickland has won various awards including a MacArthur Fellowship "genius" award in 1996.[8] He has been honored by the White House,[3] and received the Goi Peace Award in 2011.[4]
In June 2018, Strickland announced that he would be stepping down from his role as president and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corp., but that he would remain on as executive chairman.[9] He had served as the leader of the organization for 50 years.[9]