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.

David Brancaccio

Laura Washington

Eddie Aruzza

Dave Holmes

Ally Love

Bob Morgan

Kavita Shukla

Charles Jenkins

Neil Stevenson

Stephanie Gosk

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Jamil Smith

Myra Greene

Valerie Lies

Phylicia Rashad

Barbara Starr

Anil Dash

Ji Suk Yi

Carol Coletta

Jessica Malkin

Kate Grossman

Val Warner

Debbie Millman

Rachel Bronson

Katherine Lanpher

Lin Brehmer

Desiree Rogers

Cindy Mori

Bobby Ghosh

Brian Babylon

Adam Benforado

Keisha Howard

Jane Harman

Mick Dumke

Chuck Salter

Geoff Brigham

Gigi Pritzker

Jud Snyder

Michael Slaby

Janet Bodnar

Anne Thompson

Andee Harris

Richard Stengel

Cheryl Corley

Dorri McWhorter

Ali Velshi

Louisa Chu

Jason Henrichs

Michal Lev-Ram

Carolina Sarassa

Soledad O'Brien

Bethany McLean

Kelly Grier

Heidi Stevens

Poppy Harlow

Jessica Grose

Deborah Douglas

Jon Greenberg

Laura Desmond

Paris Schutz

Anne Munition

Steve Edwards

Charles Duhigg

Kevin Pang

Michael Arndt

Melissa Clark

David Gregory

Jessica Clemons

Peggy Kusinski

Karen Jordan

Nick Turner

Eve Ewing

Kelly Rizzo

Eric Becker

Sonny Garg

Terri Hemmert

Mellody Hobson

Molly Wood

Padma Lakshmi

Linda Cohn

Meredith Stricker

Robin Givhan

Touré

Jay Smooth

Sandee Kastrul

Andrew Barber

Tricia Eck

Kelly Leonard

Ben Johnson

Dan Abrams

Campbell Brown

Maryam Saleh

Mark Caro

Celeste Headlee

Shannon Heffernan

Felicia Lawrence

Amanda Seales

Jessica Wohl

Kate Sullivan

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