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.

Kavita Shukla

Linda Cohn

Jessica Malkin

Linda Lutton

Dustin Yellin

Tom Brokaw

Kate Sullivan

Dorri McWhorter

Bobby Ghosh

Jason Henrichs

Jessica Yellin

Jessica Wohl

Sandee Kastrul

Rachel Bronson

Anne Munition

Gigi Pritzker

Campbell Brown

Richard Stengel

Phylicia Rashad

Lin Brehmer

Neil Stevenson

Adam Benforado

Janet Bodnar

Kelly Leonard

Meredith Stricker

Deborah Douglas

Kate Grossman

Louisa Chu

Steve Edwards

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Jane Harman

Dan Abrams

Amanda Seales

Odette Yousef

Kelly Rizzo

Jessica Clemons

Jenan Mohajir

Myra Greene

Molly Wood

Poppy Harlow

Desiree Rogers

Tricia Eck

Eve Ewing

Celeste Headlee

Mellody Hobson

Touré

Ali Velshi

Melissa Clark

Ally Love

Valerie Lies

Ben Johnson

Nick Turner

Katherine Lanpher

Sonny Garg

Andrew Barber

Chuck Salter

Laura Washington

Kevin Pang

Carol Coletta

Charles Jenkins

Mats Lederhausen

Carolina Sarassa

Anne Thompson

Michael Slaby

Brandis Friedman

Padma Lakshmi

Geoff Brigham

Anil Dash

Jay Smooth

Felicia Lawrence

Ana Belaval

Eric Becker

Cheryl Corley

Val Warner

Jessica Grose

Eddie Aruzza

Karen Jordan

Mark Caro

Maryam Saleh

Bob Morgan

Soledad O'Brien

David Gregory

Monica Eng

Cindy Mori

Barbara Starr

Shannon Heffernan

Heidi Stevens

Dave Holmes

Stephanie Gosk

Ji Suk Yi

Brian Babylon

Debbie Millman

Jon Greenberg

Robin Givhan

Terri Hemmert

Laura Desmond

Paris Schutz

Jud Snyder

Charles Duhigg

Peggy Kusinski

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