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.

Keisha Howard

Ji Suk Yi

Bethany McLean

Soledad O'Brien

Francis Slakey

Michael Arndt

Kevin Pang

Celeste Headlee

Michael Slaby

Brandis Friedman

Gigi Pritzker

David Brancaccio

Tom Brokaw

Laura Washington

Poppy Harlow

Robin Givhan

Felicia Lawrence

Peggy Kusinski

Dave Holmes

Deborah Douglas

Mellody Hobson

Bobby Ghosh

Carolina Sarassa

Lin Brehmer

Campbell Brown

Amanda Seales

Phylicia Rashad

David Gregory

Cindy Mori

Ana Belaval

Charles Duhigg

Michal Lev-Ram

Geoff Brigham

Kate Sullivan

Jamil Smith

Rachel Bronson

Mats Lederhausen

Andee Harris

Neil Stevenson

Touré

Eve Ewing

Laura Desmond

Paris Schutz

Molly Wood

Kavita Shukla

Anil Dash

Meredith Stricker

Dustin Yellin

Maryam Saleh

Anne Munition

Jessica Wohl

Carol Coletta

Kelly Grier

Jenan Mohajir

Odette Yousef

Kate Grossman

Debbie Millman

Mark Caro

Myra Greene

Linda Cohn

Jessica Malkin

Nick Turner

Eddie Aruzza

Cheryl Corley

Linda Lutton

Anne Thompson

Ben Johnson

Heidi Stevens

Sonny Garg

Jon Greenberg

Melissa Clark

Jane Harman

Kelly Leonard

Dan Abrams

Louisa Chu

Steve Edwards

Mick Dumke

Jessica Grose

Janet Bodnar

Jason Henrichs

Padma Lakshmi

Brian Babylon

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Ally Love

Tricia Eck

Lola Wright

Terri Hemmert

Chuck Salter

Charles Jenkins

Sandee Kastrul

Jud Snyder

Kelly Rizzo

Stephanie Gosk

Ted Fishman

Gretchen Carlson

Ali Velshi

Shannon Heffernan

Andrew Barber

Katherine Lanpher

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