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.

Charles Jenkins

Katherine Lanpher

Ted Fishman

Kelly Grier

Janet Bodnar

Ally Love

Cindy Mori

Kate Sullivan

Mats Lederhausen

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Laura Washington

Debbie Millman

Carolina Sarassa

Lola Wright

Keisha Howard

Geoff Brigham

Stephanie Gosk

Jessica Grose

Nick Turner

Anil Dash

Michal Lev-Ram

Rachel Bronson

Steve Edwards

Soledad O'Brien

Dan Abrams

Shannon Heffernan

Valerie Lies

Dustin Yellin

Tom Brokaw

Jessica Yellin

Peggy Kusinski

Jud Snyder

Heidi Stevens

Ben Johnson

Carol Coletta

Francis Slakey

Maryam Saleh

Val Warner

Mellody Hobson

Chuck Salter

Ana Belaval

Desiree Rogers

Dave Holmes

Bethany McLean

Monica Eng

Brian Babylon

Neil Stevenson

Padma Lakshmi

Campbell Brown

Jason Henrichs

Bob Morgan

Jane Harman

Jessica Wohl

Deborah Douglas

Gigi Pritzker

Cheryl Corley

Eve Ewing

Jessica Clemons

Louisa Chu

Adam Benforado

Richard Stengel

Jay Smooth

Jenan Mohajir

Anne Thompson

Melissa Clark

Dorri McWhorter

Gretchen Carlson

Jon Greenberg

Kelly Leonard

Molly Wood

Eric Becker

Michael Slaby

Anne Munition

Sandee Kastrul

Kate Grossman

Laura Desmond

Mick Dumke

Barbara Starr

Andee Harris

Robin Givhan

Terri Hemmert

Sonny Garg

Meredith Stricker

Kevin Pang

Celeste Headlee

Kavita Shukla

Eddie Aruzza

Linda Cohn

Ji Suk Yi

Myra Greene

Charles Duhigg

Jamil Smith

Phylicia Rashad

Mark Caro

Poppy Harlow

Paris Schutz

Touré

Odette Yousef

Jessica Malkin

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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