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.

Adam Benforado

Andee Harris

Gretchen Carlson

Eric Becker

Keisha Howard

Brian Babylon

Cindy Mori

Cheryl Corley

Anne Thompson

Touré

Poppy Harlow

Bobby Ghosh

Campbell Brown

Terri Hemmert

Ted Fishman

Anne Munition

Mellody Hobson

Ben Johnson

Robin Givhan

Jud Snyder

Steve Edwards

Phylicia Rashad

Amanda Seales

Jessica Clemons

Stephanie Gosk

Geoff Brigham

Charles Jenkins

Anil Dash

Val Warner

Melissa Clark

Celeste Headlee

Meredith Stricker

David Brancaccio

Tricia Eck

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Kevin Pang

Eve Ewing

Debbie Millman

Ana Belaval

Linda Lutton

Barbara Starr

Richard Stengel

Jon Greenberg

Kate Grossman

Kelly Rizzo

Sandee Kastrul

Jason Henrichs

Dan Abrams

Myra Greene

Shannon Heffernan

Neil Stevenson

Andrew Barber

Linda Cohn

Maryam Saleh

Jenan Mohajir

Bob Morgan

Laura Washington

Padma Lakshmi

Bethany McLean

Odette Yousef

Kelly Grier

Molly Wood

Jane Harman

Dustin Yellin

Dorri McWhorter

Felicia Lawrence

Jessica Grose

Gigi Pritzker

Carolina Sarassa

Michal Lev-Ram

Charles Duhigg

Jessica Malkin

Ali Velshi

Peggy Kusinski

Mark Caro

Jessica Yellin

Chuck Salter

Michael Arndt

Heidi Stevens

Kelly Leonard

Sonny Garg

Nick Turner

Jay Smooth

Katherine Lanpher

Soledad O'Brien

Eddie Aruzza

Jessica Wohl

Ally Love

Kate Sullivan

Dave Holmes

Paris Schutz

Lola Wright

Janet Bodnar

Michael Slaby

Tom Brokaw

Mick Dumke

Monica Eng

Lin Brehmer

Mats Lederhausen

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The History of Slavery in Objects

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Helene D. Gayle on the History of Chicago's Wealth Gap

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Yusef Salaam on What He Learned From Adversity

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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Focuses on Finding Solutions for Ocean Conservation

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Jose Antonio Vargas Explores What Immigration "Looks Like" Today

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Pete Holmes Explores the Meaning of Life

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David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation

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Bring Your Imagination to Life

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Bashir Salahuddin on Chicago's Creative Scene

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Hebru Brantley on the Story Behind Nevermore

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John Carreyrou on Theranos as Silicon Valley Cautionary Tale

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Do We Really Know the Truth about Men?

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Full Talk: What Does It Mean To Be a Black Man Today?

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Howard Schultz Sits Down with Mellody Hobson to Talk About What's Next

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Howard Schultz on His Potential 2020 Run

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Former Starbucks Chairman & CEO Shares His Thoughts on What Happened in Philadelphia

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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