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.

Bobby Ghosh

Jason Henrichs

Maryam Saleh

Carolina Sarassa

Kate Grossman

Jessica Malkin

Tricia Eck

Linda Cohn

Laura Desmond

Linda Lutton

Padma Lakshmi

Sandee Kastrul

Gigi Pritzker

Deborah Douglas

Kavita Shukla

Ally Love

Jane Harman

Andrew Barber

Kelly Leonard

Cindy Mori

Anne Munition

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Touré

Cheryl Corley

Jessica Yellin

Eric Becker

Andee Harris

Barbara Starr

Eddie Aruzza

Dan Abrams

Jessica Grose

Kelly Grier

Eve Ewing

Michal Lev-Ram

Neil Stevenson

Kate Sullivan

David Brancaccio

Geoff Brigham

David Gregory

Carol Coletta

Jud Snyder

Bethany McLean

Jessica Wohl

Phylicia Rashad

Mark Caro

Mats Lederhausen

Dustin Yellin

Stephanie Gosk

Charles Jenkins

Jamil Smith

Odette Yousef

Katherine Lanpher

Desiree Rogers

Campbell Brown

Myra Greene

Heidi Stevens

Jessica Clemons

Michael Slaby

Francis Slakey

Jenan Mohajir

Valerie Lies

Val Warner

Shannon Heffernan

Paris Schutz

Jon Greenberg

Poppy Harlow

Charles Duhigg

Lin Brehmer

Ted Fishman

Keisha Howard

Terri Hemmert

Gretchen Carlson

Karen Jordan

Meredith Stricker

Laura Washington

Tom Brokaw

Jay Smooth

Louisa Chu

Debbie Millman

Adam Benforado

Dorri McWhorter

Melissa Clark

Kelly Rizzo

Anil Dash

Lola Wright

Ben Johnson

Amanda Seales

Celeste Headlee

Janet Bodnar

Brandis Friedman

Rachel Bronson

Bob Morgan

Chuck Salter

Felicia Lawrence

Ali Velshi

Brian Babylon

Ana Belaval

Soledad O'Brien

Richard Stengel

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