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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.

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
Cal Fussman
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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