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.

Gretchen Carlson

Bob Morgan

Dan Abrams

Mellody Hobson

Amanda Seales

Padma Lakshmi

Carol Coletta

Bobby Ghosh

Jason Henrichs

Tom Brokaw

Brandis Friedman

Jon Greenberg

Kelly Leonard

Ally Love

Desiree Rogers

Linda Lutton

Anne Thompson

Sandee Kastrul

Kevin Pang

Dave Holmes

Dustin Yellin

Anne-Marie Slaughter

David Brancaccio

Mick Dumke

Ji Suk Yi

Barbara Starr

Peggy Kusinski

Campbell Brown

Jessica Grose

Nick Turner

Karen Jordan

Valerie Lies

Anil Dash

Felicia Lawrence

Jessica Clemons

Kate Grossman

Phylicia Rashad

Eve Ewing

Charles Jenkins

Gigi Pritzker

Lola Wright

Melissa Clark

Val Warner

Rachel Bronson

Tricia Eck

Jamil Smith

Robin Givhan

Keisha Howard

Francis Slakey

Steve Edwards

Jane Harman

Odette Yousef

Deborah Douglas

Shannon Heffernan

Michael Arndt

Maryam Saleh

Katherine Lanpher

Myra Greene

Charles Duhigg

Celeste Headlee

Cindy Mori

Jenan Mohajir

Eric Becker

Paris Schutz

Mark Caro

Anne Munition

Jessica Wohl

Richard Stengel

Cheryl Corley

Kelly Grier

Molly Wood

Terri Hemmert

Ali Velshi

David Gregory

Heidi Stevens

Andrew Barber

Ted Fishman

Neil Stevenson

Debbie Millman

Geoff Brigham

Stephanie Gosk

Linda Cohn

Chuck Salter

Kavita Shukla

Bethany McLean

Eddie Aruzza

Janet Bodnar

Ben Johnson

Ana Belaval

Lin Brehmer

Jud Snyder

Michael Slaby

Jessica Malkin

Poppy Harlow

Kate Sullivan

Louisa Chu

Laura Desmond

Mats Lederhausen

Sonny Garg

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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