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.

Linda Cohn

Tricia Eck

Melissa Clark

Jon Greenberg

Dave Holmes

Nick Turner

Jenan Mohajir

Poppy Harlow

Michael Arndt

Jessica Malkin

Phylicia Rashad

Ted Fishman

Kelly Grier

Padma Lakshmi

Eddie Aruzza

Ben Johnson

Celeste Headlee

Eve Ewing

David Gregory

Stephanie Gosk

Gretchen Carlson

Geoff Brigham

Campbell Brown

Eric Becker

Kevin Pang

Jamil Smith

Karen Jordan

Brian Babylon

Dan Abrams

Ji Suk Yi

Jessica Wohl

Shannon Heffernan

Lin Brehmer

Mats Lederhausen

Terri Hemmert

Katherine Lanpher

Brandis Friedman

Andrew Barber

Amanda Seales

Chuck Salter

Ali Velshi

Charles Jenkins

Jessica Clemons

Michael Slaby

Gigi Pritzker

Maryam Saleh

Mick Dumke

Peggy Kusinski

Bob Morgan

Heidi Stevens

Steve Edwards

Sonny Garg

Kate Grossman

Dorri McWhorter

Charles Duhigg

Meredith Stricker

Cindy Mori

Jessica Yellin

Myra Greene

Mark Caro

Adam Benforado

Kelly Rizzo

Kavita Shukla

Deborah Douglas

Andee Harris

Dustin Yellin

Lola Wright

Odette Yousef

Robin Givhan

Francis Slakey

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Bethany McLean

Keisha Howard

Jason Henrichs

Jessica Grose

Molly Wood

Carol Coletta

Tom Brokaw

Ana Belaval

Michal Lev-Ram

Louisa Chu

Val Warner

Cheryl Corley

Jane Harman

Monica Eng

Anne Munition

Neil Stevenson

Valerie Lies

Sandee Kastrul

Felicia Lawrence

David Brancaccio

Bobby Ghosh

Ally Love

Carolina Sarassa

Barbara Starr

Kate Sullivan

Laura Desmond

Laura Washington

Touré

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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