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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.

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