Bill Strickland, Keynote Speaker

Bill Strickland has created a blueprint for building centers that help end the cycle of poverty and poor education. But his true legacy lies in his ethical leadership, unwavering passion for people, and the steadfast belief that if you give them the right tools, they can—and will—perform miraculous deeds. To date, Bill has guided thousands of people towards employment, passion, craft, and dignity in their actions, even when it seemed like the odds were against him. After years of trying to raise the money for what would become Manchester Bidwell, Bill changed tack: he 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. Forty years later, he has a paradigm-shifting social enterprise that’s partnered with billion-dollar brands like Heinz and Bayer, won awards, broken records, and reshaped the business of social change.

Bill shows us how to think about our environments and what we can do to uplift each other and bring the best out of everyone. In his revolutionary book Make the Impossible Possible, written with Vince Rause, Bill shows how each of us can reach our fullest potential and achieve the “impossible” in our own lives and careers—and perhaps change the world a little in the process. Rather than teaching you how to succeed by the book, Bill will show you how to defy habit, find your purpose, and build your business against the grain of conventional logic. Perhaps most important of all, the book helps us face our failures and come out on the other side of our challenges with renewed hope and resilience.

Today, Bill is the Founder and Vice Chair of the Strickland Global Leadership Institute, a nonprofit which continues his powerful work at Manchester Bidwell. Through the nonprofit, he provides resources, training, and mentorship programs for the next generation of social innovators, supports his many training & arts education centers, guides the creation of new centers in the U.S. and abroad, and trains people in how to start and lead centers going forward.

Bill was once named one of 25 members of the White House Council for Community Solutions by President Obama, and for years now, the MacArthur Genius has shared his unshakable message of leadership, self-worth, and our intrinsic ability for remarkable transformation to rapt audiences. He was also honored by the US Senate for his contribution to social innovation, was 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.