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Reid Carpenter served as president of Leadership Foundations of America (LFA) from 2003-2008. Presently Reid is involved as President of 1by1 Leadership Foundation which is a local expression of the national movement. He also has a variety of functions he does out of the Founder’s Office.
As a network of over 55 local leadership foundations throughout the world, Leadership Foundations is dedicated to the physical and spiritual transformation of communities. Members and local partners help millions of people by working with the community to build literacy programs, housing, employment, health care, food programs, mentoring, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and more.
Mr. Carpenter began his ministry in 1961 as the Pittsburgh, PA, area director for Young Life, a non denominational youth organization. As regional director (1967-75) he pioneered Young Life ministries in Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and New York State. From 1975-78 he was director of Young Life’s Northeast Division, which included eastern Canada. In 1978 Mr. Carpenter founded and became president of the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation (PLF), a faith-based organization. PLF brings leaders together to tackle the biggest concerns of the region through planning and program organization.
Over the next 23 years he initiated collaborative ventures with hundreds of local partners to assist at-risk youth, prisoners and their families, people with inadequate health care, families in need of housing, and individuals with drug addictions. He secured more than $500 million to support these efforts in the Pittsburgh area.
He initiated, organized and helped fund more than 20 organizations, including the ANTI-Racism Institute, Pittsburgh Youth Network, CLEAR (Coalition for Leadership, Education and Advocacy for Recovery) and East Liberty Family Health Care Center. Mr. Carpenter and PLF also partnered with World Vision to establish its international distribution center and the local collaboration, the Storehouse.
Mr. Carpenter has been an advisor to many faith-based organizations and business corporations. He has served on various boards and committees, including Communities in Schools, International Urban Associates, National Center for Protection of Children and Families and WQED Enterprises (Pittsburgh PBS affiliate).
He received a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Fairfield University (CT), a master’s degree in biblical studies from Young Life Institute, Fuller Theological Seminary (CA), and an honorary doctorate in Humane Letters from Geneva College (PA).
