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:

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.

About the Organization

About the People

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

Tom Brokaw

Shannon Heffernan

Brian Babylon

Adam Benforado

Carolina Sarassa

Robin Givhan

Monica Eng

Linda Lutton

Myra Greene

Cheryl Corley

Kelly Leonard

Michael Arndt

Chuck Salter

Bob Morgan

Lola Wright

Desiree Rogers

Bethany McLean

Dave Holmes

Brandis Friedman

Laura Washington

Louisa Chu

Dorri McWhorter

Terri Hemmert

Barbara Starr

Andrew Barber

David Gregory

Jon Greenberg

Jane Harman

Ana Belaval

Kelly Rizzo

Tricia Eck

Phylicia Rashad

Laura Desmond

Heidi Stevens

Melissa Clark

Kelly Grier

Jud Snyder

Ted Fishman

Kate Sullivan

Mats Lederhausen

Debbie Millman

Francis Slakey

Geoff Brigham

Ji Suk Yi

Charles Jenkins

Jamil Smith

Linda Cohn

Carol Coletta

Jessica Grose

Padma Lakshmi

Paris Schutz

Sonny Garg

Kevin Pang

Meredith Stricker

Kavita Shukla

Odette Yousef

Michael Slaby

Jay Smooth

Stephanie Gosk

Karen Jordan

Michal Lev-Ram

Jessica Malkin

Ally Love

Touré

Rachel Bronson

Andee Harris

Campbell Brown

Eddie Aruzza

Soledad O'Brien

Ben Johnson

Janet Bodnar

Jenan Mohajir

Maryam Saleh

Anne Thompson

Jessica Wohl

David Brancaccio

Dan Abrams

Mark Caro

Amanda Seales

Steve Edwards

Deborah Douglas

Keisha Howard

Katherine Lanpher

Ali Velshi

Richard Stengel

Anne Munition

Val Warner

Nick Turner

Poppy Harlow

Jessica Clemons

Molly Wood

Anil Dash

Charles Duhigg

Lin Brehmer

Eve Ewing

Mellody Hobson

Neil Stevenson

Eric Becker

Bobby Ghosh

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