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.

Michael Slaby

Stephanie Gosk

Jessica Clemons

Kevin Pang

Dorri McWhorter

Sonny Garg

Jessica Malkin

Odette Yousef

Mick Dumke

Campbell Brown

Maryam Saleh

Katherine Lanpher

Heidi Stevens

Ben Johnson

Eddie Aruzza

Richard Stengel

Louisa Chu

Cindy Mori

Kavita Shukla

Jessica Yellin

Felicia Lawrence

Gretchen Carlson

Myra Greene

Bethany McLean

Ted Fishman

Kelly Rizzo

Michael Arndt

Laura Desmond

Amanda Seales

Jane Harman

Sandee Kastrul

Melissa Clark

Dustin Yellin

Eric Becker

Charles Duhigg

Deborah Douglas

Jay Smooth

Chuck Salter

Poppy Harlow

Mark Caro

Shannon Heffernan

Andrew Barber

Nick Turner

Anil Dash

Valerie Lies

Monica Eng

Anne Thompson

Andee Harris

David Brancaccio

Debbie Millman

Jessica Grose

Adam Benforado

Bob Morgan

Soledad O'Brien

Laura Washington

Neil Stevenson

Lola Wright

Tom Brokaw

Molly Wood

Jessica Wohl

Ji Suk Yi

Eve Ewing

Karen Jordan

Robin Givhan

Bobby Ghosh

Jon Greenberg

Jud Snyder

Padma Lakshmi

Val Warner

Gigi Pritzker

Celeste Headlee

Ali Velshi

Janet Bodnar

Mellody Hobson

Rachel Bronson

Kate Grossman

Michal Lev-Ram

Anne Munition

Peggy Kusinski

Jason Henrichs

Desiree Rogers

Keisha Howard

Brandis Friedman

Carol Coletta

Mats Lederhausen

Dan Abrams

Terri Hemmert

Lin Brehmer

Jamil Smith

Kelly Leonard

Meredith Stricker

Jenan Mohajir

Steve Edwards

Kelly Grier

Phylicia Rashad

Touré

Brian Babylon

Tricia Eck

Anne-Marie Slaughter

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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