William E. Strickland, Jr.
President & CEO
Manchester Bidwell Corporation
Bill Strickland is the President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and its subsidiaries, Manchester Craftsmen’s
Guild (MCG) and Bidwell Training Center (BTC), both founded in 1968. His duties include: developing and implementing
major fund-raising plans of action; working with Boards of Directors and Industrial Advisory Boards; encouraging
participation of corporate executive officials from major multi-national Pittsburgh corporations. Strickland has
completed the development of a new 40,000 sq. ft. production greenhouse, created for the development of
Phalaenopsis orchids and hydroponics vegetables; a 70,000 sq. ft. medical technology complex, which has exceeded
eight million dollars in value; and a 62,000 sq. ft. facility as a mortgage free asset for both MCG and BTC. The facilities
include a 350-seat music/lecture hall, library, arts studios and labs, dining and meeting rooms, state-of-the-art award
winning audio and video recording studios, serve as a demonstration site for Hewlett Packard and Steelcase equipment
and are home to 25,000 Phalaenopsis orchids that are cultivated for wholesale distribution.
Strickland was born in Pittsburgh in 1947, and graduated from David B. Oliver High School in 1965. In 1969, he earned a
bachelor’s degree in American history and foreign relations from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated cum laude.
Throughout his distinguished career, Strickland has been honored with numerous prestigious awards for his
contributions to the arts and the community including University of Pittsburgh, Johnson Institute Exemplary Leader
Award (2014), George W. Crawford Black Bar Association’s Visionary Award (2013), Rodef Shalom’s Pursuer of Peace
Award (2012), Chuck Cooper Foundation’s Chuck Cooper Award (2012), Lawndale Christian Development Corp., Dream
Maker Award (2012); Chicago Ideas Week, 2011 Hero Award (2011,) Washington Jazz Society, Champion of the Year
(2010,) University of Pittsburgh’s African American Alumni Council Distinguished Alumnus Award (2009), Indiana
University of Pennsylvania’s Presidential Legacy Award for Civic Service (2009), International Association for Jazz
Education’s Lawrence Berk Leadership Award (2008), American Heart Association Heart of the Community Award
(2008), Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the area of Arts and Education (2007), Urban League of
Pittsburgh’s Ronald Harmon Brown Award (2006), LISC’s Outstanding Leadership Award (2006), International Economic
Development Council’s 2005 Citizen Leadership Award (2005), B’nai Zion Humanitarian Award (2004), Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania’s Arts Leadership and Service Award (1999) and the Kilby Award (1998). He accepted on behalf of the
Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild the “Coming Up Taller” Award presented in a White House ceremony by first lady Hillary
Rodham Clinton (1998) and in 1996, he received the MacArthur “Genius” Award for leadership and ingenuity in the arts.
In January 2012, Bill Strickland was selected to serve on the Task Force for Child Protection by Pennsylvania Governor
Tom Corbett and in November 2011, Strickland traveled to Tokyo, Japan to receive the GOI Peace Award which is
awarded annually by the GOI Peace Foundation to honor an individual or organization in various fields that have
contributed to the advancement of world peace and humanity.
Strickland was chosen by President Obama to serve on the White House Council for Community Solutions in December
2010. He has also served as Chairman of the Expansion Arts Panel of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in
Washington, D.C. and served a six-year Presidential appointment as a Council Member to the NEA. In 2002, Strickland
was sworn in as a member of the Presidents Committee on the Arts and the Humanities. He also serves as a consultant,
grant evaluator and mentor in the field of arts and arts education, community development and vocational training. He
was also a Council Member on the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the Pennsylvania State Board of Education, a
trustee at the Carnegie, and a Consultant with the British/American Arts Association in London, England.
Strickland has excelled in cultivating collaborative partnerships in Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, San Francisco, Boston, New
Haven, Buffalo, Brockway, Cleveland and Grand Rapids. He has developed successful relationships with foundations
such as ALCOA Foundation, Helen Bader Foundation, The Danforth Foundation, Ford Foundation, The Forbes Fund,
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Milwaukee Foundation, W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Social Venture Partners,
Pittsburgh Foundation, E. M. Kauffman Foundation, Heinz Foundation, R.K. Mellon Foundation and Pew Charitable Trust.
Bill Strickland, his wife Rose and daughter Olivia, reside on the North Side of Pittsburgh.
William E. Strickland, Jr.
Page 2
Qualifications Include:
 Airline Transport Pilot-Multi-Engine
 Certified as a Second Officer on Turbo Jet Aircraft
 More than 700 hours on the Boeing 727 in actual flight conditions
 More than 2,800 hours total flight time in both air carriers and general aviation flying
Professional Involvements and Associations
 Council Member: White House Council on Community Solutions (concluded 2012)
 Member: Pennsylvania Task Force on Child Protection
 Member: University of Pittsburgh Clinical and Translational Science Institute External Advisory Board,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 Member: BNY Mellon Foundation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 Member: BNY Mellon Southwest PA Advisory Board, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 Board Member: African American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 Board Member: Pittsburgh Psychoanalytic Committee, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 Board Member: Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 Board Member: Bethany College
 Board Member: The Ellis School
 Trustee: University of Pittsburgh
 Distinguished Alumni: University of Pittsburgh
 Laureate: University of Pittsburgh
 Guest Lecturer: Kellogg School of Business
 Guest Lecturer: Harvard Business School
 Guest Lecturer: Harvard School of Education
 Guest Lecturer: Stanford Business School
 Guest Lecturer: Indiana University of Pennsylvania
 Guest Lecturer: Robert Morris University
 Guest Lecturer: Farleigh Dickinson University
 Former Adjunct Faculty, Harvard School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
 Former Board Member: State Board of Education, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 Former Board Member: West Penn Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
 Former Trustee: The Carnegie, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Honorary Doctorates:
University of Pittsburgh, Kendall College, Babson College, Marywood University, Robert Morris University,
Edinboro University, Slippery Rock University, Chatham University, San Francisco Art Institute, Maryland Art
Institute, Rutgers University, Columbia College, Westminster College, Carnegie Mellon University, Bethany
College, Quinnipiac University, Hood College, Bloomfield College and Middlebury College
Publications
 “Make the Impossible Possible: One Man’s Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger & Achieve the
Extraordinary” (Doubleday - 12/2007)