William Strickland

William Strickland, director emeritus, leads the Strickland Global Leadership Institute, a nonprofit he founded that focuses on developing vocational training & arts education centers across the U.S. He is the former president, CEO and executive chairman of Manchester Bidwell Corporation and its subsidiaries, Manchester Craftsmen's Guild (MCG) and Bidwell Training Center BTC), both founded in 1968. Under his leadership, the organization has completed the development of a new medical technology complex and a facility as a mortgage-free asset for MCG and BTC. The facilities include a 350-seat music/lecture hall, library, arts studios and labs, dining and meeting rooms and state-of-the-art, award-winning audio and video recording studios. A native of Pittsburgh, Strickland earned a bachelor's degree at the University of Pittsburgh and in 1996, he was awarded the MacArthur Genius Award for leadership and ingenuity in the arts.