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.

Maryam Saleh

Anne Thompson

Kevin Pang

Molly Wood

Ben Johnson

Jon Greenberg

Jessica Clemons

Katherine Lanpher

Anne Munition

Desiree Rogers

Dave Holmes

Mats Lederhausen

Felicia Lawrence

Soledad O'Brien

Bob Morgan

Terri Hemmert

Eddie Aruzza

Adam Benforado

Bobby Ghosh

Lin Brehmer

Lola Wright

Robin Givhan

Francis Slakey

Steve Edwards

Kavita Shukla

Eve Ewing

Mellody Hobson

Ana Belaval

Nick Turner

Charles Jenkins

Jessica Grose

Paris Schutz

Andrew Barber

David Gregory

Ted Fishman

Tom Brokaw

Tricia Eck

Jane Harman

Jamil Smith

Jessica Malkin

David Brancaccio

Carol Coletta

Peggy Kusinski

Campbell Brown

Linda Lutton

Ally Love

Charles Duhigg

Brian Babylon

Sandee Kastrul

Kelly Grier

Meredith Stricker

Bethany McLean

Kelly Leonard

Eric Becker

Michael Slaby

Chuck Salter

Carolina Sarassa

Andee Harris

Jay Smooth

Poppy Harlow

Dustin Yellin

Ji Suk Yi

Michal Lev-Ram

Celeste Headlee

Shannon Heffernan

Keisha Howard

Padma Lakshmi

Anil Dash

Myra Greene

Michael Arndt

Geoff Brigham

Dan Abrams

Mark Caro

Kate Grossman

Deborah Douglas

Brandis Friedman

Rachel Bronson

Laura Desmond

Phylicia Rashad

Dorri McWhorter

Jud Snyder

Kelly Rizzo

Kate Sullivan

Gretchen Carlson

Mick Dumke

Linda Cohn

Neil Stevenson

Touré

Jenan Mohajir

Karen Jordan

Val Warner

Louisa Chu

Cheryl Corley

Laura Washington

Debbie Millman

Amanda Seales

Barbara Starr

Janet Bodnar

Odette Yousef

Sonny Garg

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

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Howard Schultz on the State of Our Nation

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