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Chicago Ideas is a nonprofit platform built on one core belief

When audiences of every background have the same access to thought leaders and innovative ideas – people have the power to spark change in the world.

Who are our thought leaders? We thought you'd never ask.
Paul "DJ White Shadow" Blair
Luis Ahn
Fawzia Mirza
Ramesh Srinivasan
Margaret Gould Stewart
Tim Ferriss
Shradha Agarwal
Bashir Salahuddin
Radha Agrawal
Edward Norton
Nick Kokonas
Massimo Lepore
Shannon Watts
Colin Powell
Shane Battier
Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot
Dick Costolo
LeVar Burton
Charlamagne Tha God
Jose Antonio Vargas
Janet Comenos
Jamie Metzl
Brandon Boyd
Hillary Sale
Francoise Baylis
Emily Bear
Rahm Emanuel
Helene Gayle
Cedric Alexander
Bing Gordon
Ayana Elizabeth Johnson PhD
Liz Phair
Brian Wallach
Yusef Salaam
David Lynch
Cameron Esposito
Alec Baldwin
Bryan Cranston
Questlove
S.E. Cupp

Chicago Ideas is a nonprofit platform built on one core belief:

When audiences of every background have the same access to thought leaders and innovative ideas – people have the power to spark change in the world.

Who are our thought leaders? We thought you’d never ask.

Michael Arndt
Padma Lakshmi
Melissa Clark
Sandee Kastrul
Val Warner
Nick  Turner
Amanda  Seales
Jane Harman
Bethany McLean
Tom Brokaw
Kate  Grossman
Eric Becker
Robin  Givhan
Brian Babylon
Ally Love
Kelly Rizzo
Bob Morgan
Neil Stevenson
Laura Desmond
Jessica Grose
Mats Lederhausen
Anne Munition
Tricia Eck
Felicia Lawrence
Anil Dash
Francis Slakey
Laura  Washington
Kate Sullivan
Sonny  Garg
Debbie Millman
Karen  Jordan
Cindy Mori
Michael Slaby
Anne-Marie Slaughter
Paris Schutz
Barbara Starr
Ji Suk Yi
Ana Belaval
Molly Wood
Touré
Rachel Bronson
Adam Benforado
Charles Duhigg
Keisha Howard
Eddie  Aruzza
David Brancaccio
Ali  Velshi
Desiree Rogers
Kelly  Leonard
Ben Johnson
Kelly Grier
Shannon Heffernan
Dustin Yellin
Terri Hemmert
Andee Harris
Steve Edwards
Carol Coletta
Jay Smooth
David Gregory
Myra Greene
Lin Brehmer
Dave  Holmes
Soledad O'Brien
Richard Stengel
Janet Bodnar
Jenan Mohajir
Eve Ewing
Michal Lev-Ram
Jessica  Malkin
Cal Fussman
Geoff Brigham
Maryam Saleh
Jessica Wohl
Peggy  Kusinski
Brandis Friedman
Jason  Henrichs
Monica Eng
Katherine Lanpher
Lola Wright
Linda Cohn
Jamil Smith
Kavita Shukla
Gretchen Carlson
Chuck Salter
Phylicia Rashad
Jessica Yellin
Mark Caro
Odette Yousef
Jud Snyder
Dan Abrams
Mellody Hobson
Celeste Headlee
Jon Greenberg
Jessica Clemons
Heidi Stevens
Kevin Pang
Deborah Douglas
Gigi  Pritzker
Meredith Stricker
Campbell Brown
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