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.

Amanda Seales

Poppy Harlow

Gigi Pritzker

Carolina Sarassa

Nick Turner

Jenan Mohajir

Heidi Stevens

Eddie Aruzza

Anne Thompson

Charles Duhigg

Jason Henrichs

Lola Wright

Rachel Bronson

Dorri McWhorter

Soledad O'Brien

Cindy Mori

Linda Lutton

Brandis Friedman

Janet Bodnar

Lin Brehmer

Jessica Clemons

Chuck Salter

Anne Munition

Peggy Kusinski

Jessica Malkin

David Brancaccio

Geoff Brigham

Charles Jenkins

Jessica Grose

Terri Hemmert

Mark Caro

Barbara Starr

David Gregory

Laura Desmond

Celeste Headlee

Bob Morgan

Mats Lederhausen

Tricia Eck

Gretchen Carlson

Kate Grossman

Louisa Chu

Paris Schutz

Tom Brokaw

Melissa Clark

Mick Dumke

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Monica Eng

Sonny Garg

Adam Benforado

Dan Abrams

Andee Harris

Kate Sullivan

Phylicia Rashad

Kelly Grier

Keisha Howard

Michael Arndt

Felicia Lawrence

Touré

Debbie Millman

Ben Johnson

Meredith Stricker

Bobby Ghosh

Jessica Wohl

Stephanie Gosk

Dave Holmes

Campbell Brown

Ji Suk Yi

Laura Washington

Ally Love

Steve Edwards

Odette Yousef

Michal Lev-Ram

Eve Ewing

Kavita Shukla

Linda Cohn

Kelly Leonard

Andrew Barber

Sandee Kastrul

Padma Lakshmi

Valerie Lies

Carol Coletta

Desiree Rogers

Maryam Saleh

Jud Snyder

Jon Greenberg

Deborah Douglas

Myra Greene

Jay Smooth

Francis Slakey

Val Warner

Dustin Yellin

Molly Wood

Ali Velshi

Cheryl Corley

Mellody Hobson

Michael Slaby

Kelly Rizzo

Eric Becker

Brian Babylon

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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