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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:

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.

David Brancaccio
Laura  Washington
Eddie  Aruzza
Dave  Holmes
Ally Love
Bob Morgan
Kavita Shukla
Charles Jenkins
Neil Stevenson
Stephanie  Gosk
Anne-Marie Slaughter
Jamil Smith
Myra Greene
Valerie Lies
Phylicia Rashad
Barbara Starr
Anil Dash
Ji Suk Yi
Carol Coletta
Jessica  Malkin
Kate  Grossman
Val Warner
Debbie Millman
Rachel Bronson
Katherine Lanpher
Lin Brehmer
Desiree Rogers
Cindy Mori
Bobby Ghosh
Brian Babylon
Adam Benforado
Keisha Howard
Jane Harman
Mick Dumke
Chuck Salter
Geoff Brigham
Gigi  Pritzker
Jud Snyder
Michael Slaby
Janet Bodnar
Anne Thompson
Andee Harris
Richard Stengel
Cheryl Corley
Dorri McWhorter
Ali  Velshi
Louisa Chu
Jason  Henrichs
Michal Lev-Ram
Carolina  Sarassa
Soledad O'Brien
Bethany McLean
Kelly Grier
Heidi Stevens
Poppy Harlow
Jessica Grose
Cal Fussman
Deborah Douglas
Jon Greenberg
Laura Desmond
Paris Schutz
Anne Munition
Steve Edwards
Charles Duhigg
Kevin Pang
Michael Arndt
Melissa Clark
David Gregory
Jessica Clemons
Peggy  Kusinski
Karen  Jordan
Nick  Turner
Eve Ewing
Kelly Rizzo
Eric Becker
Sonny  Garg
Terri Hemmert
Mellody Hobson
Molly Wood
Padma Lakshmi
Linda Cohn
Meredith Stricker
Robin  Givhan
Touré
Jay Smooth
Sandee Kastrul
Andrew Barber
Tricia Eck
Kelly  Leonard
Ben Johnson
Dan Abrams
Campbell Brown
Maryam Saleh
Mark Caro
Celeste Headlee
Shannon Heffernan
Felicia Lawrence
Amanda  Seales
Jessica Wohl
Kate Sullivan
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