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.

Mark Caro

Sonny Garg

Campbell Brown

Soledad O'Brien

Kevin Pang

Neil Stevenson

Jessica Wohl

Dan Abrams

Francis Slakey

Richard Stengel

Kate Grossman

Nick Turner

Padma Lakshmi

Debbie Millman

Ally Love

Poppy Harlow

Paris Schutz

Amanda Seales

Myra Greene

Terri Hemmert

Andrew Barber

Shannon Heffernan

Cindy Mori

Bethany McLean

Odette Yousef

Felicia Lawrence

Jay Smooth

Louisa Chu

Mellody Hobson

Stephanie Gosk

Gigi Pritzker

Anne Munition

Monica Eng

Michael Arndt

Eddie Aruzza

Molly Wood

Melissa Clark

Deborah Douglas

Valerie Lies

Anil Dash

Brandis Friedman

Charles Jenkins

Kelly Leonard

Jessica Yellin

Jud Snyder

Janet Bodnar

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Karen Jordan

Lola Wright

Kate Sullivan

Laura Washington

Jason Henrichs

Peggy Kusinski

Brian Babylon

Adam Benforado

Meredith Stricker

Keisha Howard

Linda Lutton

Jessica Clemons

Tricia Eck

Steve Edwards

Mats Lederhausen

Jessica Grose

Eric Becker

Jamil Smith

Charles Duhigg

Carolina Sarassa

Jessica Malkin

Kavita Shukla

Val Warner

Geoff Brigham

Laura Desmond

Jane Harman

Linda Cohn

Michal Lev-Ram

Gretchen Carlson

Barbara Starr

Rachel Bronson

Ana Belaval

Dave Holmes

Desiree Rogers

Ji Suk Yi

Bob Morgan

Anne Thompson

David Brancaccio

David Gregory

Robin Givhan

Carol Coletta

Jenan Mohajir

Bobby Ghosh

Touré

Heidi Stevens

Maryam Saleh

Ted Fishman

Michael Slaby

Sandee Kastrul

Phylicia Rashad

Jon Greenberg

Dustin Yellin

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The History of Slavery in Objects

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Helene D. Gayle on the History of Chicago's Wealth Gap

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Yusef Salaam on What He Learned From Adversity

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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Focuses on Finding Solutions for Ocean Conservation

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Jose Antonio Vargas Explores What Immigration "Looks Like" Today

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Pete Holmes Explores the Meaning of Life

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Bring Your Imagination to Life

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Bashir Salahuddin on Chicago's Creative Scene

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Hebru Brantley on the Story Behind Nevermore

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Full Talk: What Does It Mean To Be a Black Man Today?

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Howard Schultz Sits Down with Mellody Hobson to Talk About What's Next

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Howard Schultz on His Potential 2020 Run

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Former Starbucks Chairman & CEO Shares His Thoughts on What Happened in Philadelphia

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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