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.

Padma Lakshmi

Soledad O'Brien

Laura Washington

Peggy Kusinski

Stephanie Gosk

Lola Wright

Rachel Bronson

Sandee Kastrul

Paris Schutz

Jessica Clemons

Gretchen Carlson

Jenan Mohajir

Charles Jenkins

Michael Arndt

Phylicia Rashad

Jane Harman

Charles Duhigg

Michal Lev-Ram

Keisha Howard

Eric Becker

Mark Caro

Ben Johnson

Deborah Douglas

Jay Smooth

Campbell Brown

Desiree Rogers

Sonny Garg

Maryam Saleh

Katherine Lanpher

Cheryl Corley

Tom Brokaw

Karen Jordan

Val Warner

Mellody Hobson

Jessica Yellin

Linda Lutton

Odette Yousef

Bob Morgan

Poppy Harlow

Kevin Pang

David Gregory

Myra Greene

Melissa Clark

Valerie Lies

Debbie Millman

Gigi Pritzker

Kavita Shukla

Ted Fishman

Mats Lederhausen

Linda Cohn

Kate Grossman

Adam Benforado

Molly Wood

Dan Abrams

Cindy Mori

Touré

Monica Eng

Shannon Heffernan

Kelly Leonard

Bobby Ghosh

Brandis Friedman

Ally Love

Jason Henrichs

Eve Ewing

Geoff Brigham

Nick Turner

Dave Holmes

Neil Stevenson

Dustin Yellin

Barbara Starr

Terri Hemmert

Jon Greenberg

Richard Stengel

Ana Belaval

Bethany McLean

Tricia Eck

Kelly Rizzo

Eddie Aruzza

Carol Coletta

Ali Velshi

Janet Bodnar

Andrew Barber

Felicia Lawrence

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Anne Thompson

Anil Dash

Louisa Chu

Mick Dumke

Ji Suk Yi

David Brancaccio

Francis Slakey

Chuck Salter

Amanda Seales

Meredith Stricker

Jessica Malkin

Jessica Grose

Laura Desmond

Robin Givhan

Lin Brehmer

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