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.

Janet Bodnar

Bethany McLean

Bobby Ghosh

Michal Lev-Ram

Cheryl Corley

Amanda Seales

Padma Lakshmi

Brian Babylon

Shannon Heffernan

Meredith Stricker

Sonny Garg

Anne Thompson

Bob Morgan

Robin Givhan

Campbell Brown

Felicia Lawrence

Neil Stevenson

Michael Slaby

Andee Harris

Cindy Mori

Anil Dash

Jenan Mohajir

Jessica Grose

Val Warner

Melissa Clark

Ji Suk Yi

Kate Sullivan

Ally Love

Kelly Leonard

Ben Johnson

Ana Belaval

Terri Hemmert

Mats Lederhausen

Lola Wright

Kelly Grier

Carolina Sarassa

Gigi Pritzker

Tom Brokaw

Linda Cohn

Richard Stengel

Phylicia Rashad

Soledad O'Brien

David Brancaccio

Poppy Harlow

Peggy Kusinski

Valerie Lies

Maryam Saleh

Rachel Bronson

Carol Coletta

Sandee Kastrul

Jessica Clemons

Jay Smooth

Tricia Eck

Francis Slakey

Anne Munition

Jane Harman

Kelly Rizzo

Heidi Stevens

Laura Washington

Ali Velshi

Jud Snyder

Jon Greenberg

Dustin Yellin

Touré

Chuck Salter

Mellody Hobson

Keisha Howard

Andrew Barber

Dan Abrams

Kate Grossman

Odette Yousef

Michael Arndt

Eric Becker

David Gregory

Gretchen Carlson

Linda Lutton

Debbie Millman

Nick Turner

Dorri McWhorter

Dave Holmes

Geoff Brigham

Celeste Headlee

Jessica Wohl

Desiree Rogers

Laura Desmond

Paris Schutz

Jamil Smith

Brandis Friedman

Karen Jordan

Mark Caro

Adam Benforado

Louisa Chu

Ted Fishman

Barbara Starr

Mick Dumke

Monica Eng

Katherine Lanpher

Kavita Shukla

Kevin Pang

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The History of Slavery in Objects

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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Focuses on Finding Solutions for Ocean Conservation

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Bring Your Imagination to Life

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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