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.

Ji Suk Yi

Brian Babylon

Francis Slakey

Bethany McLean

Kate Grossman

Jenan Mohajir

Cheryl Corley

Kate Sullivan

Laura Desmond

Anil Dash

Jud Snyder

Jamil Smith

Campbell Brown

Michael Arndt

David Gregory

Dorri McWhorter

Stephanie Gosk

Terri Hemmert

Janet Bodnar

Cindy Mori

Mark Caro

Bobby Ghosh

Bob Morgan

Louisa Chu

Touré

Deborah Douglas

Valerie Lies

Jessica Malkin

Heidi Stevens

Ali Velshi

Kevin Pang

Andee Harris

Lin Brehmer

David Brancaccio

Odette Yousef

Kavita Shukla

Eric Becker

Michael Slaby

Amanda Seales

Chuck Salter

Steve Edwards

Kelly Leonard

Dave Holmes

Jon Greenberg

Mick Dumke

Linda Cohn

Poppy Harlow

Jessica Wohl

Tom Brokaw

Brandis Friedman

Soledad O'Brien

Jessica Clemons

Nick Turner

Peggy Kusinski

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Anne Munition

Desiree Rogers

Eddie Aruzza

Ted Fishman

Val Warner

Charles Duhigg

Mellody Hobson

Jane Harman

Paris Schutz

Maryam Saleh

Andrew Barber

Gretchen Carlson

Sonny Garg

Shannon Heffernan

Felicia Lawrence

Anne Thompson

Lola Wright

Kelly Rizzo

Keisha Howard

Dustin Yellin

Celeste Headlee

Meredith Stricker

Richard Stengel

Eve Ewing

Carol Coletta

Tricia Eck

Padma Lakshmi

Dan Abrams

Gigi Pritzker

Ally Love

Jessica Yellin

Phylicia Rashad

Ben Johnson

Molly Wood

Monica Eng

Adam Benforado

Carolina Sarassa

Linda Lutton

Ana Belaval

Karen Jordan

Neil Stevenson

Michal Lev-Ram

Robin Givhan

Melissa Clark

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