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.

Dorri McWhorter

Deborah Douglas

Mark Caro

Kelly Leonard

Ally Love

Ji Suk Yi

Soledad O'Brien

Neil Stevenson

Sandee Kastrul

Phylicia Rashad

Mats Lederhausen

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Michal Lev-Ram

Tricia Eck

David Brancaccio

Molly Wood

Meredith Stricker

Ali Velshi

Bobby Ghosh

Eddie Aruzza

Debbie Millman

Eric Becker

Amanda Seales

Jay Smooth

Gretchen Carlson

Dan Abrams

Kelly Grier

Stephanie Gosk

Adam Benforado

Monica Eng

Bob Morgan

Cindy Mori

Keisha Howard

Jessica Clemons

Kevin Pang

Val Warner

Padma Lakshmi

Karen Jordan

Charles Jenkins

Anne Thompson

Geoff Brigham

Linda Cohn

Dave Holmes

Katherine Lanpher

Jessica Grose

Carolina Sarassa

Peggy Kusinski

Jessica Malkin

Valerie Lies

Linda Lutton

Robin Givhan

Desiree Rogers

Bethany McLean

Melissa Clark

Lola Wright

Kate Sullivan

Lin Brehmer

Tom Brokaw

Jud Snyder

Touré

Richard Stengel

Sonny Garg

Mellody Hobson

Nick Turner

Andee Harris

Ben Johnson

Michael Arndt

Jon Greenberg

Anil Dash

Kate Grossman

Charles Duhigg

Rachel Bronson

Chuck Salter

Ana Belaval

David Gregory

Dustin Yellin

Poppy Harlow

Anne Munition

Eve Ewing

Brian Babylon

Jane Harman

Cheryl Corley

Jessica Wohl

Steve Edwards

Felicia Lawrence

Odette Yousef

Andrew Barber

Laura Desmond

Louisa Chu

Ted Fishman

Shannon Heffernan

Myra Greene

Maryam Saleh

Kelly Rizzo

Campbell Brown

Kavita Shukla

Gigi Pritzker

Paris Schutz

Michael Slaby

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