Bill Strickland

Having endowed thousands of skilled laborers—guiding them towards employment, passion, craft, and dignity in their actions when it seemed like the odds were against him—Bill Strickland won’t teach you how to succeed by the book. Instead, he’ll show you how to defy habit and build your business against the grain of typical logic. After years of trying to raise the money for what would become Manchester Bidwell, Strickland changed tack: he raised his ambitions and persuaded one of Pittsburgh’s leading architects to design a new arts and training center. Then, he hit the pavement, showing the city’s business leaders, charity foundations, and public authorities why it was in their interest to fund his plan. 40 years later, he has a paradigm-shifting social enterprise that’s partnered with billion-dollar brands like Heinz and Bayer, won awards, broken records, restored the notion of ethical leadership, and reshaped the business of social change.

Recently, Strickland was named as one of the 25 members of the White House Council for Community Solutions by President Obama. And for years now, in front of rapt audiences, this MacArthur Genius has shared his unshakable message of leadership, self-worth and the intrinsic ability in all of us to achieve remarkable transformation in our lives. He was also honored by the US Senate for his contribution to social innovation. Strickland is also the author of Make the Impossible Possible, a recipient of The White House’s “Coming Up Taller” Award, and the founder of the Grammy-winning MCG Jazz, the most successful jazz subscription series in America.