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.

Cheryl Corley

Kate Sullivan

Michael Arndt

Anne Thompson

Stephanie Gosk

Jessica Clemons

Kavita Shukla

Michael Slaby

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Eddie Aruzza

Jason Henrichs

Dave Holmes

Dan Abrams

Carol Coletta

Michal Lev-Ram

Poppy Harlow

Ji Suk Yi

Karen Jordan

Keisha Howard

Laura Washington

Molly Wood

Gretchen Carlson

Dustin Yellin

Kevin Pang

Sonny Garg

Padma Lakshmi

Jessica Grose

Lin Brehmer

Soledad O'Brien

Janet Bodnar

Louisa Chu

Jessica Wohl

Debbie Millman

Kelly Leonard

Kate Grossman

Neil Stevenson

Ally Love

Melissa Clark

Nick Turner

Odette Yousef

Robin Givhan

Charles Duhigg

Touré

Tricia Eck

Heidi Stevens

Ali Velshi

Celeste Headlee

Kelly Grier

Dorri McWhorter

Jay Smooth

Rachel Bronson

Andee Harris

Carolina Sarassa

Shannon Heffernan

Jessica Malkin

Bob Morgan

Jane Harman

Jamil Smith

Brandis Friedman

David Gregory

Maryam Saleh

Charles Jenkins

Laura Desmond

Kelly Rizzo

Linda Cohn

Barbara Starr

Gigi Pritzker

Linda Lutton

Jon Greenberg

Ben Johnson

Bobby Ghosh

Anil Dash

Anne Munition

Felicia Lawrence

Sandee Kastrul

David Brancaccio

Geoff Brigham

Tom Brokaw

Mellody Hobson

Jenan Mohajir

Katherine Lanpher

Meredith Stricker

Jud Snyder

Amanda Seales

Bethany McLean

Adam Benforado

Ana Belaval

Deborah Douglas

Brian Babylon

Paris Schutz

Andrew Barber

Lola Wright

Richard Stengel

Eric Becker

Ted Fishman

Mick Dumke

Steve Edwards

Chuck Salter

Valerie Lies

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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