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.

Anil Dash

Adam Benforado

Anne Munition

Bob Morgan

Felicia Lawrence

Linda Cohn

Mellody Hobson

Gretchen Carlson

Brandis Friedman

Geoff Brigham

Bethany McLean

Kelly Rizzo

Molly Wood

Karen Jordan

Kevin Pang

Dave Holmes

Tom Brokaw

Sandee Kastrul

Shannon Heffernan

Paris Schutz

Jud Snyder

Katherine Lanpher

Michal Lev-Ram

Kelly Grier

Jason Henrichs

David Brancaccio

Gigi Pritzker

Barbara Starr

Michael Arndt

Cindy Mori

Poppy Harlow

Anne Thompson

Phylicia Rashad

Ted Fishman

Val Warner

Laura Desmond

Eddie Aruzza

Ana Belaval

Debbie Millman

Brian Babylon

Jon Greenberg

Charles Duhigg

Terri Hemmert

Mark Caro

Padma Lakshmi

Andrew Barber

Peggy Kusinski

Carolina Sarassa

Tricia Eck

Lola Wright

Linda Lutton

Charles Jenkins

Bobby Ghosh

Jessica Yellin

Carol Coletta

Janet Bodnar

Jenan Mohajir

Kavita Shukla

Touré

Richard Stengel

Lin Brehmer

Campbell Brown

Ali Velshi

Valerie Lies

Jay Smooth

Neil Stevenson

Dustin Yellin

Jessica Malkin

Cheryl Corley

Jane Harman

Dan Abrams

Dorri McWhorter

Stephanie Gosk

Deborah Douglas

Ally Love

Rachel Bronson

Sonny Garg

Mick Dumke

Jessica Grose

David Gregory

Keisha Howard

Laura Washington

Kelly Leonard

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Kate Sullivan

Myra Greene

Andee Harris

Kate Grossman

Chuck Salter

Eve Ewing

Eric Becker

Ji Suk Yi

Mats Lederhausen

Melissa Clark

Desiree Rogers

Odette Yousef

Ben Johnson

Francis Slakey

Celeste Headlee

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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