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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.

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