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.

Deborah Douglas

Louisa Chu

Sandee Kastrul

Jamil Smith

Andee Harris

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Meredith Stricker

Ben Johnson

Dave Holmes

Kelly Grier

Carol Coletta

Maryam Saleh

Dustin Yellin

Kate Grossman

Sonny Garg

Jason Henrichs

Lola Wright

Anne Munition

Phylicia Rashad

Jud Snyder

Tricia Eck

Andrew Barber

Chuck Salter

Myra Greene

Mick Dumke

Stephanie Gosk

Eddie Aruzza

Steve Edwards

Richard Stengel

Cindy Mori

Campbell Brown

Brian Babylon

Janet Bodnar

Jessica Grose

David Brancaccio

Ted Fishman

Touré

Eric Becker

Monica Eng

Mark Caro

Dan Abrams

Jessica Wohl

Kavita Shukla

Keisha Howard

Poppy Harlow

Carolina Sarassa

Katherine Lanpher

Celeste Headlee

Ali Velshi

Debbie Millman

Amanda Seales

Laura Desmond

Valerie Lies

Geoff Brigham

Adam Benforado

Barbara Starr

David Gregory

Mellody Hobson

Jay Smooth

Terri Hemmert

Charles Duhigg

Shannon Heffernan

Rachel Bronson

Anne Thompson

Neil Stevenson

Jessica Yellin

Bethany McLean

Eve Ewing

Cheryl Corley

Jessica Clemons

Bob Morgan

Heidi Stevens

Linda Cohn

Michael Arndt

Lin Brehmer

Odette Yousef

Jenan Mohajir

Val Warner

Charles Jenkins

Nick Turner

Brandis Friedman

Mats Lederhausen

Peggy Kusinski

Soledad O'Brien

Felicia Lawrence

Molly Wood

Kelly Leonard

Jessica Malkin

Kate Sullivan

Anil Dash

Padma Lakshmi

Ally Love

Karen Jordan

Linda Lutton

Michael Slaby

Jon Greenberg

Dorri McWhorter

Ji Suk Yi

Bobby Ghosh

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Helene D. Gayle on the History of Chicago's Wealth Gap

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The History of Slavery in Objects

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Helene D. Gayle on the History of Chicago's Wealth Gap

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Poverty: It's Time to Take Action

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Yusef Salaam on What He Learned From Adversity

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Jose Antonio Vargas on Immigration Law Reformation

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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Focuses on Finding Solutions for Ocean Conservation

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Jose Antonio Vargas Explores What Immigration "Looks Like" Today

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Pete Holmes Explores the Meaning of Life

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David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation

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Bring Your Imagination to Life

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Bashir Salahuddin on Chicago's Creative Scene

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Hebru Brantley on the Story Behind Nevermore

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Listening Between the Lines

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The Power of Your Gene Sequence

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John Carreyrou on Theranos as Silicon Valley Cautionary Tale

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Do We Really Know the Truth about Men?

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Full Talk: What Does It Mean To Be a Black Man Today?

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Howard Schultz Sits Down with Mellody Hobson to Talk About What's Next

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Howard Schultz on His Potential 2020 Run

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Former Starbucks Chairman & CEO Shares His Thoughts on What Happened in Philadelphia

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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