“You can’t triumph without trying” is a sentiment that has been echoed throughout Sterling Crockett’s life. And while it’s easy to say he has been triumphant, it’s harder to classify his accomplishments. He is the definition of a Renaissance Man; he has the grit and vision we at KID Museum hope to foster in the next generation of leaders. Quite simply, he has charted his own path and is a model to those who seek the same.
Who is he? Many know him as the founder of Sterling Construction Services, the multi-million dollar construction company created out of frustration and a memory of his father’s advice: “if you don’t like your job, you get a new job — or, if you have any guts, you create your own job.” But he has done more than “create his own job.” He’s a visionary, a CEO, an entrepreneur, a strategic thinker, a collaborator, a connector, a nonprofit leader, an educator, a mentor, a community organizer, an amateur chef and baker, a homebrew enthusiast, a devoted family member, a business owner, and an unconventional problem solver.
From his own beginnings in rural southwest Virginia, Sterling has subsequently become an ardent advocate of expanding pathways for access and opportunity focusing on the importance of education, determination, and being unafraid to think big. Not surprisingly, his empowering wisdom is equally applicable to the corporations he counsels as to the youth he mentors.
Sterling currently serves as the Executive Director of Our Voices Matter, a non-profit that engages, educates and mentors young community members (ages 16 to 25) and their families to be leaders and activists in advocating for underrepresented and socio-economically challenged communities and a former member of the Board of Advisors of the Universities at Shady Grove.
Sterling Crockett has found his spark. Want to feel inspired to find yours? Join us at his KIDtalk at KIDfest on September 24. You’ll find Sterling at 1:30 in the KIDtalks room in the Silver Spring Civic Building.
