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-Marie Slaughter

Mats Lederhausen

Stephanie Gosk

Jessica Yellin

Paris Schutz

Debbie Millman

Kevin Pang

Kelly Rizzo

Ted Fishman

Tom Brokaw

Jud Snyder

Shannon Heffernan

Laura Washington

Dan Abrams

Bobby Ghosh

Andee Harris

Eve Ewing

Ben Johnson

Barbara Starr

Bob Morgan

Carolina Sarassa

Ana Belaval

Kavita Shukla

Val Warner

Chuck Salter

Mark Caro

Jenan Mohajir

Lola Wright

Karen Jordan

Anne Munition

Mick Dumke

Celeste Headlee

Ali Velshi

Eddie Aruzza

Jason Henrichs

Kelly Grier

Neil Stevenson

Soledad O'Brien

Charles Duhigg

Jon Greenberg

Michael Arndt

Gigi Pritzker

Francis Slakey

Cheryl Corley

Gretchen Carlson

Kate Sullivan

Amanda Seales

Brian Babylon

Robin Givhan

Touré

Terri Hemmert

Charles Jenkins

Myra Greene

Kate Grossman

Janet Bodnar

Richard Stengel

Keisha Howard

Phylicia Rashad

Eric Becker

Odette Yousef

Anne Thompson

Felicia Lawrence

Geoff Brigham

Heidi Stevens

Mellody Hobson

Peggy Kusinski

Katherine Lanpher

Dustin Yellin

Maryam Saleh

Sandee Kastrul

Louisa Chu

David Brancaccio

Kelly Leonard

Cindy Mori

Padma Lakshmi

Poppy Harlow

Lin Brehmer

Anil Dash

Desiree Rogers

Jessica Malkin

Meredith Stricker

Andrew Barber

Dave Holmes

Adam Benforado

Jessica Grose

Bethany McLean

Jamil Smith

Molly Wood

Linda Cohn

Carol Coletta

Campbell Brown

Ally Love

Michal Lev-Ram

Jane Harman

Linda Lutton

Steve Edwards

Jay Smooth

David Gregory

Sonny Garg

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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