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.

Debbie Millman

Dave Holmes

Jason Henrichs

Dorri McWhorter

Nick Turner

Touré

Kelly Rizzo

Soledad O'Brien

Campbell Brown

Monica Eng

Phylicia Rashad

Ted Fishman

Molly Wood

Neil Stevenson

Janet Bodnar

Deborah Douglas

Kevin Pang

Kelly Leonard

Ana Belaval

Felicia Lawrence

Ji Suk Yi

Odette Yousef

Anil Dash

Karen Jordan

Linda Lutton

Celeste Headlee

Ally Love

Anne Thompson

Jessica Clemons

Lin Brehmer

Gigi Pritzker

Sonny Garg

Rachel Bronson

David Gregory

David Brancaccio

Myra Greene

Terri Hemmert

Linda Cohn

Eric Becker

Anne Munition

Carol Coletta

Cindy Mori

Charles Duhigg

Geoff Brigham

Desiree Rogers

Laura Desmond

Shannon Heffernan

Ben Johnson

Kate Grossman

Mark Caro

Andee Harris

Dan Abrams

Tricia Eck

Melissa Clark

Dustin Yellin

Jon Greenberg

Richard Stengel

Maryam Saleh

Kavita Shukla

Steve Edwards

Michael Arndt

Peggy Kusinski

Lola Wright

Michal Lev-Ram

Stephanie Gosk

Brian Babylon

Jane Harman

Katherine Lanpher

Mick Dumke

Valerie Lies

Jay Smooth

Bob Morgan

Gretchen Carlson

Laura Washington

Amanda Seales

Francis Slakey

Jessica Malkin

Jamil Smith

Ali Velshi

Mats Lederhausen

Brandis Friedman

Mellody Hobson

Paris Schutz

Charles Jenkins

Jessica Grose

Tom Brokaw

Meredith Stricker

Jenan Mohajir

Poppy Harlow

Chuck Salter

Jessica Wohl

Louisa Chu

Kelly Grier

Robin Givhan

Jessica Yellin

Sandee Kastrul

Adam Benforado

Cheryl Corley

Barbara Starr

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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