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.

Bob Morgan

Soledad O'Brien

Geoff Brigham

Peggy Kusinski

Adam Benforado

Terri Hemmert

Monica Eng

Kevin Pang

Cindy Mori

Tricia Eck

Jessica Wohl

Lola Wright

Carol Coletta

Andee Harris

Myra Greene

Molly Wood

Sonny Garg

Campbell Brown

Ted Fishman

Mick Dumke

Desiree Rogers

Robin Givhan

Touré

Karen Jordan

Deborah Douglas

Nick Turner

Kate Grossman

Michael Arndt

Ana Belaval

Linda Lutton

Rachel Bronson

Louisa Chu

Eddie Aruzza

Neil Stevenson

Lin Brehmer

Stephanie Gosk

Dave Holmes

Padma Lakshmi

David Brancaccio

Jane Harman

Paris Schutz

Val Warner

Chuck Salter

Dustin Yellin

Odette Yousef

Felicia Lawrence

Eric Becker

Jessica Grose

Valerie Lies

Laura Washington

Tom Brokaw

Jamil Smith

Meredith Stricker

Andrew Barber

Anne Thompson

Gigi Pritzker

Heidi Stevens

David Gregory

Ben Johnson

Jessica Clemons

Mellody Hobson

Ali Velshi

Linda Cohn

Charles Duhigg

Bethany McLean

Katherine Lanpher

Keisha Howard

Celeste Headlee

Poppy Harlow

Anil Dash

Mark Caro

Phylicia Rashad

Kelly Grier

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Brandis Friedman

Jessica Yellin

Francis Slakey

Ji Suk Yi

Ally Love

Bobby Ghosh

Carolina Sarassa

Kelly Rizzo

Jason Henrichs

Gretchen Carlson

Shannon Heffernan

Amanda Seales

Steve Edwards

Janet Bodnar

Maryam Saleh

Dan Abrams

Jon Greenberg

Mats Lederhausen

Jay Smooth

Cheryl Corley

Richard Stengel

Kavita Shukla

Sandee Kastrul

Anne Munition

Kate Sullivan

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