Bill Strickland is the founder and Executive Chairman of Manchester Bidwell Corporation (MBC), an educational model designed to create empowering educational environments for adults-in-transition as well as a diverse population of youth in the Pittsburgh, PA region. A past Skoll awardee, Strickland's model has been replicated in 14 cities in the US and Internationally. Bill founded Manchester Craftsmen's Guild in 1968 to help combat economic and social devastation experienced by residents of his Northside Pittsburgh neighborhood. Later in 1972 he assumed leadership of Bidwell Training Center to guide its transition to providing skills relevant to Pittsburgh's economy. Grammy winning MCG Jazz was founded in 1987, which is one of the longest jazz subscription series in America. What started as an informal art program and exhibition space has been transformed into a 62,000 sf arts and career training center, which today includes a 40,000 sf production and educational greenhouse.
