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.

Linda Lutton

Cheryl Corley

Jud Snyder

Francis Slakey

Michael Slaby

Val Warner

Kelly Rizzo

Nick Turner

Keisha Howard

Kelly Leonard

Odette Yousef

Poppy Harlow

Jessica Malkin

Desiree Rogers

Myra Greene

Phylicia Rashad

David Brancaccio

Janet Bodnar

Peggy Kusinski

Sonny Garg

Monica Eng

Terri Hemmert

Sandee Kastrul

Dustin Yellin

Kevin Pang

Bethany McLean

Gretchen Carlson

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Anil Dash

Eric Becker

Soledad O'Brien

Mark Caro

Ji Suk Yi

Neil Stevenson

Maryam Saleh

Jon Greenberg

Mats Lederhausen

Barbara Starr

Lin Brehmer

Mellody Hobson

Brandis Friedman

Campbell Brown

Valerie Lies

Dorri McWhorter

Jane Harman

Jessica Clemons

Ali Velshi

Charles Jenkins

Celeste Headlee

Felicia Lawrence

Robin Givhan

Paris Schutz

Dan Abrams

Louisa Chu

Mick Dumke

David Gregory

Kelly Grier

Kate Sullivan

Debbie Millman

Adam Benforado

Tom Brokaw

Gigi Pritzker

Michal Lev-Ram

Jay Smooth

Kavita Shukla

Tricia Eck

Jamil Smith

Geoff Brigham

Dave Holmes

Eddie Aruzza

Cindy Mori

Bobby Ghosh

Rachel Bronson

Steve Edwards

Heidi Stevens

Karen Jordan

Katherine Lanpher

Padma Lakshmi

Shannon Heffernan

Chuck Salter

Anne Thompson

Michael Arndt

Laura Desmond

Andrew Barber

Deborah Douglas

Richard Stengel

Charles Duhigg

Ben Johnson

Linda Cohn

Stephanie Gosk

Anne Munition

Ted Fishman

Jason Henrichs

Ally Love

Carol Coletta

Carolina Sarassa

Molly Wood

Jenan Mohajir

Melissa Clark

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