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.

Karen Jordan

Kelly Grier

Chuck Salter

Kelly Leonard

Robin Givhan

Kavita Shukla

Maryam Saleh

David Brancaccio

Lola Wright

Kevin Pang

Eddie Aruzza

Bethany McLean

Poppy Harlow

Louisa Chu

Janet Bodnar

Soledad O'Brien

Jay Smooth

Anil Dash

Keisha Howard

Paris Schutz

Lin Brehmer

Katherine Lanpher

Andrew Barber

Linda Lutton

Mark Caro

Cindy Mori

David Gregory

Eve Ewing

Dustin Yellin

Heidi Stevens

Jud Snyder

Celeste Headlee

Mellody Hobson

Ted Fishman

Deborah Douglas

Peggy Kusinski

Desiree Rogers

Melissa Clark

Kelly Rizzo

Cheryl Corley

Padma Lakshmi

Charles Jenkins

Amanda Seales

Ally Love

Gigi Pritzker

Jon Greenberg

Tricia Eck

Dorri McWhorter

Adam Benforado

Bobby Ghosh

Dave Holmes

Carol Coletta

Eric Becker

Carolina Sarassa

Nick Turner

Ana Belaval

Felicia Lawrence

Barbara Starr

Mats Lederhausen

Rachel Bronson

Myra Greene

Brandis Friedman

Brian Babylon

Ji Suk Yi

Ali Velshi

Molly Wood

Charles Duhigg

Jane Harman

Touré

Jessica Yellin

Val Warner

Laura Desmond

Anne Thompson

Jessica Clemons

Gretchen Carlson

Neil Stevenson

Tom Brokaw

Campbell Brown

Sonny Garg

Stephanie Gosk

Linda Cohn

Kate Sullivan

Valerie Lies

Michal Lev-Ram

Odette Yousef

Anne Munition

Shannon Heffernan

Geoff Brigham

Mick Dumke

Laura Washington

Jamil Smith

Richard Stengel

Ben Johnson

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Dan Abrams

Steve Edwards

Meredith Stricker

Jessica Malkin

Michael Slaby

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