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.

Geoff Brigham

Kavita Shukla

Val Warner

Jason Henrichs

Michal Lev-Ram

Adam Benforado

Deborah Douglas

Ana Belaval

Jon Greenberg

Keisha Howard

Soledad O'Brien

Dan Abrams

Celeste Headlee

Peggy Kusinski

Carolina Sarassa

Brandis Friedman

Kevin Pang

Jessica Wohl

Jessica Yellin

Meredith Stricker

Jessica Clemons

Tricia Eck

Campbell Brown

Kate Sullivan

Bethany McLean

Ji Suk Yi

Jessica Grose

Stephanie Gosk

Gretchen Carlson

Cheryl Corley

Jenan Mohajir

Ted Fishman

Ben Johnson

Kelly Rizzo

Laura Desmond

Anil Dash

Mark Caro

Lin Brehmer

Valerie Lies

David Brancaccio

Charles Duhigg

Cindy Mori

Eric Becker

Francis Slakey

Jamil Smith

Maryam Saleh

Bobby Ghosh

Richard Stengel

Michael Slaby

Paris Schutz

Katherine Lanpher

Heidi Stevens

Monica Eng

Amanda Seales

Jay Smooth

Laura Washington

Debbie Millman

Felicia Lawrence

Kate Grossman

Steve Edwards

Jud Snyder

Janet Bodnar

Ally Love

Brian Babylon

Louisa Chu

Barbara Starr

Myra Greene

Poppy Harlow

Chuck Salter

Andee Harris

Shannon Heffernan

Kelly Grier

Eve Ewing

Padma Lakshmi

Mick Dumke

Robin Givhan

Ali Velshi

Sonny Garg

Lola Wright

Michael Arndt

David Gregory

Kelly Leonard

Anne Thompson

Tom Brokaw

Eddie Aruzza

Charles Jenkins

Dustin Yellin

Odette Yousef

Molly Wood

Desiree Rogers

Touré

Terri Hemmert

Dave Holmes

Rachel Bronson

Carol Coletta

Sandee Kastrul

Mats Lederhausen

Linda Cohn

Karen Jordan

Jessica Malkin

Recent Ideas

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Extremely Online: A Conversation About the World of Gaming

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Chicago's Art Scene Faces a Reckoning

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Exploring Equitable Change in Chicago

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Helene D. Gayle on the History of Chicago's Wealth Gap

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The History of Slavery in Objects

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Helene D. Gayle on the History of Chicago's Wealth Gap

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The 1619 Project Contributors Dissect the Ways the Legacy of Slavery Lives On

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Nikole Hannah-Jones Addresses the Legacy of Slavery

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Poverty: It's Time to Take Action

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Ronan Farrow & Rich McHugh on Exposing Harvey Weinstein

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Vine, but Make an Impact: How Two Early Creators Built Sustainable Careers

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In Conversation: Hannah Hart and Ji Suk Yi

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YouTube Personality "Lisbug" Sits Down to Chat the Meaning of Influence

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Yusef Salaam on What He Learned From Adversity

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Brian Wallach & Sandra Abrevaya on the Power of Hope

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Kat Cole on What Makes a Leader

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Dick Costolo and How Algorithms Changed Twitter

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Hillary Rodham Clinton, Chelsea Clinton and Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot Talk about "Gutsy Women"

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READI Chicago's Reality Allah on Violence, Trauma, and Redemption in Chicago

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Richard Edelman on the Social Responsibility of Leaders

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Cleo Wade on Expressing Activism Your Way

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Shannon Watts Wants You to Raise Your Voice

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Jose Antonio Vargas on Immigration Law Reformation

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Suzanne Muchin on How to Perfect Your Pitch

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The New Ethics of Biogenetics According to Francoise Baylis

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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Focuses on Finding Solutions for Ocean Conservation

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Jamie Metzl on Evolution of Technology

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Jose Antonio Vargas Explores What Immigration "Looks Like" Today

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An Exploration of the Trump Administration's Impact on Immigration

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In Conversation: Martha Minow & Newt Minow

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How America's Shrinking Middle Class Will Affect the Economy

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Pete Holmes Explores the Meaning of Life

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David Lynch on Transcendental Meditation

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Bring Your Imagination to Life

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Bashir Salahuddin on Chicago's Creative Scene

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Hebru Brantley on the Story Behind Nevermore

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Listening Between the Lines

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Curing Cancer with the First Gene

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The Power of Your Gene Sequence

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How Public Health Focuses on Empathy

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John Carreyrou on Theranos as Silicon Valley Cautionary Tale

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Do What Feels Good: Q&A with Hannah Bronfman

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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What Is Love, Really?

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Do We Really Know the Truth about Men?

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Xavier Ramey Sits Down with Charlamagne Tha God to Talk Black Men & Mental Health

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Full Talk: What Does It Mean To Be a Black Man Today?

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Howard Schultz Sits Down with Mellody Hobson to Talk About What's Next

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Of the People, For the People, We the People

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Howard Schultz on His Potential 2020 Run

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Former Starbucks Chairman & CEO Shares His Thoughts on What Happened in Philadelphia

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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