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.

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

Kavita Shukla

Odette Yousef

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