SIGN UPLOGIN

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.

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
Cal Fussman
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
Explore More

Stay in the (west) loop

Get our newsletter