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.

Lola Wright

Robin Givhan

Rachel Bronson

Brandis Friedman

Michael Slaby

Cindy Mori

Linda Lutton

Jane Harman

Ana Belaval

Monica Eng

Ally Love

Stephanie Gosk

Neil Stevenson

Campbell Brown

Ben Johnson

Katherine Lanpher

Soledad O'Brien

Valerie Lies

Val Warner

Peggy Kusinski

Paris Schutz

Mellody Hobson

Geoff Brigham

Kevin Pang

Andrew Barber

Meredith Stricker

Charles Jenkins

Carolina Sarassa

Jessica Yellin

Jud Snyder

Anil Dash

Jon Greenberg

Jenan Mohajir

Mats Lederhausen

Debbie Millman

Dave Holmes

Richard Stengel

Ali Velshi

Cheryl Corley

Jessica Wohl

Eve Ewing

Tricia Eck

Gretchen Carlson

Deborah Douglas

Ted Fishman

Bethany McLean

Nick Turner

Bob Morgan

Maryam Saleh

Heidi Stevens

Phylicia Rashad

David Brancaccio

Tom Brokaw

Gigi Pritzker

Jason Henrichs

Ji Suk Yi

Carol Coletta

Michael Arndt

Kelly Leonard

Lin Brehmer

Laura Desmond

Barbara Starr

Brian Babylon

Chuck Salter

Jessica Malkin

Linda Cohn

Sonny Garg

Kate Grossman

Dustin Yellin

Keisha Howard

Jamil Smith

Dan Abrams

Kelly Rizzo

Sandee Kastrul

Terri Hemmert

Poppy Harlow

Andee Harris

Mark Caro

David Gregory

Amanda Seales

Bobby Ghosh

Anne Thompson

Janet Bodnar

Touré

Anne Munition

Adam Benforado

Celeste Headlee

Francis Slakey

Jessica Grose

Dorri McWhorter

Felicia Lawrence

Shannon Heffernan

Kavita Shukla

Eric Becker

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Kate Sullivan

Kelly Grier

Jay Smooth

Odette Yousef

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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