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.

Eric Becker

Celeste Headlee

Janet Bodnar

Lin Brehmer

Brandis Friedman

Kate Grossman

Ted Fishman

Touré

Campbell Brown

Michael Arndt

Robin Givhan

Kevin Pang

Michael Slaby

Jamil Smith

Jane Harman

Lola Wright

Louisa Chu

David Brancaccio

Steve Edwards

Eve Ewing

Bethany McLean

Dustin Yellin

Karen Jordan

Amanda Seales

Kelly Grier

Dan Abrams

Jessica Malkin

Jessica Yellin

Ali Velshi

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Sonny Garg

Kavita Shukla

Terri Hemmert

Michal Lev-Ram

Ji Suk Yi

Tom Brokaw

Carol Coletta

Jenan Mohajir

Carolina Sarassa

Gretchen Carlson

Poppy Harlow

Jay Smooth

Cheryl Corley

Sandee Kastrul

Katherine Lanpher

Linda Lutton

Charles Duhigg

Bobby Ghosh

Dorri McWhorter

Paris Schutz

Kate Sullivan

Padma Lakshmi

Anil Dash

Soledad O'Brien

Myra Greene

Ben Johnson

Felicia Lawrence

Val Warner

Valerie Lies

Debbie Millman

Kelly Rizzo

Monica Eng

Peggy Kusinski

Andee Harris

Chuck Salter

Brian Babylon

Jason Henrichs

Melissa Clark

Laura Washington

Gigi Pritzker

Kelly Leonard

Phylicia Rashad

Molly Wood

Ally Love

Meredith Stricker

Cindy Mori

Dave Holmes

Mark Caro

Geoff Brigham

Mats Lederhausen

Ana Belaval

Nick Turner

David Gregory

Shannon Heffernan

Neil Stevenson

Eddie Aruzza

Bob Morgan

Andrew Barber

Anne Thompson

Heidi Stevens

Jud Snyder

Richard Stengel

Jon Greenberg

Jessica Clemons

Keisha Howard

Stephanie Gosk

Linda Cohn

Desiree Rogers

Maryam Saleh

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