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.

Dave Holmes

Poppy Harlow

Anne Munition

Jessica Clemons

Charles Duhigg

Jamil Smith

Jessica Grose

Steve Edwards

Andee Harris

Michael Slaby

Ana Belaval

Touré

Tom Brokaw

David Brancaccio

Laura Washington

Gigi Pritzker

Stephanie Gosk

Paris Schutz

Melissa Clark

Charles Jenkins

Adam Benforado

Eddie Aruzza

Ted Fishman

Valerie Lies

Jenan Mohajir

Padma Lakshmi

Kelly Leonard

Geoff Brigham

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Barbara Starr

Meredith Stricker

Carolina Sarassa

Sandee Kastrul

Jessica Malkin

Terri Hemmert

Campbell Brown

Karen Jordan

Desiree Rogers

Eric Becker

Deborah Douglas

Francis Slakey

Felicia Lawrence

Kate Sullivan

Dorri McWhorter

Ally Love

Val Warner

Peggy Kusinski

Kelly Grier

Andrew Barber

Jane Harman

Ali Velshi

Linda Lutton

Michael Arndt

Chuck Salter

Kavita Shukla

Bob Morgan

Dan Abrams

Nick Turner

Gretchen Carlson

Anne Thompson

Kelly Rizzo

Eve Ewing

Rachel Bronson

Debbie Millman

Richard Stengel

Soledad O'Brien

Ji Suk Yi

Myra Greene

Louisa Chu

Bobby Ghosh

Linda Cohn

Neil Stevenson

Laura Desmond

Molly Wood

Anil Dash

Shannon Heffernan

Heidi Stevens

Ben Johnson

Tricia Eck

Michal Lev-Ram

Cheryl Corley

Brian Babylon

David Gregory

Monica Eng

Cindy Mori

Jessica Wohl

Keisha Howard

Mats Lederhausen

Amanda Seales

Bethany McLean

Janet Bodnar

Sonny Garg

Mark Caro

Phylicia Rashad

Maryam Saleh

Lola Wright

Carol Coletta

Celeste Headlee

Jud Snyder

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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