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.

Anne Munition

Kelly Leonard

Jenan Mohajir

Charles Jenkins

Jessica Clemons

Eddie Aruzza

Kate Grossman

Jamil Smith

Laura Desmond

Stephanie Gosk

Deborah Douglas

Jud Snyder

Karen Jordan

Monica Eng

Louisa Chu

Linda Cohn

Dave Holmes

Phylicia Rashad

Padma Lakshmi

Felicia Lawrence

Jane Harman

Jessica Grose

Ben Johnson

Shannon Heffernan

Brandis Friedman

Keisha Howard

Laura Washington

Peggy Kusinski

Janet Bodnar

Eve Ewing

Lola Wright

Maryam Saleh

Neil Stevenson

Steve Edwards

Michal Lev-Ram

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Lin Brehmer

Jessica Malkin

Dustin Yellin

Melissa Clark

Molly Wood

Ted Fishman

Tricia Eck

Michael Slaby

Odette Yousef

Ally Love

Kelly Grier

Soledad O'Brien

Kavita Shukla

Chuck Salter

Jay Smooth

Bobby Ghosh

Jason Henrichs

Ji Suk Yi

Val Warner

Anil Dash

Paris Schutz

David Brancaccio

Meredith Stricker

Katherine Lanpher

Kelly Rizzo

Nick Turner

Gretchen Carlson

Celeste Headlee

Kate Sullivan

Brian Babylon

Gigi Pritzker

Sonny Garg

Ana Belaval

Linda Lutton

Carolina Sarassa

Sandee Kastrul

Mats Lederhausen

Jessica Yellin

Amanda Seales

Anne Thompson

Kevin Pang

Robin Givhan

Poppy Harlow

Ali Velshi

Rachel Bronson

Andrew Barber

Desiree Rogers

Myra Greene

Michael Arndt

Francis Slakey

David Gregory

Adam Benforado

Bob Morgan

Charles Duhigg

Mellody Hobson

Jon Greenberg

Touré

Richard Stengel

Terri Hemmert

Cindy Mori

Jessica Wohl

Eric Becker

Bethany McLean

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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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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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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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