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.

Touré

Terri Hemmert

Jamil Smith

Laura Washington

Maryam Saleh

Ben Johnson

Anne Thompson

Melissa Clark

Stephanie Gosk

Dan Abrams

Mick Dumke

Dave Holmes

Lola Wright

Charles Duhigg

Linda Cohn

Brian Babylon

Mark Caro

Louisa Chu

Heidi Stevens

Ji Suk Yi

Bethany McLean

Monica Eng

Anil Dash

Dorri McWhorter

Michael Slaby

Neil Stevenson

Campbell Brown

Kavita Shukla

Valerie Lies

Jon Greenberg

Kevin Pang

Janet Bodnar

Eve Ewing

Charles Jenkins

Myra Greene

Kelly Leonard

Jud Snyder

Bobby Ghosh

Kelly Rizzo

Peggy Kusinski

Barbara Starr

Katherine Lanpher

Poppy Harlow

Ally Love

Cheryl Corley

Chuck Salter

Bob Morgan

Gretchen Carlson

David Brancaccio

Anne Munition

Richard Stengel

Val Warner

Karen Jordan

Dustin Yellin

Ana Belaval

Michal Lev-Ram

Jessica Clemons

Steve Edwards

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Meredith Stricker

Ted Fishman

Jenan Mohajir

Rachel Bronson

Jessica Wohl

Jessica Malkin

Kelly Grier

Molly Wood

Nick Turner

Mats Lederhausen

Andee Harris

Francis Slakey

Eddie Aruzza

Jessica Grose

Michael Arndt

Phylicia Rashad

Andrew Barber

Keisha Howard

Debbie Millman

Padma Lakshmi

Brandis Friedman

Lin Brehmer

Tom Brokaw

Tricia Eck

Ali Velshi

Kate Sullivan

David Gregory

Mellody Hobson

Odette Yousef

Eric Becker

Desiree Rogers

Paris Schutz

Jane Harman

Jason Henrichs

Jay Smooth

Sonny Garg

Laura Desmond

Geoff Brigham

Linda Lutton

Adam Benforado

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