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.

Michal Lev-Ram

Jessica Clemons

Tom Brokaw

Linda Lutton

Janet Bodnar

Louisa Chu

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Chuck Salter

Andee Harris

Felicia Lawrence

Mark Caro

Ana Belaval

Francis Slakey

Peggy Kusinski

Shannon Heffernan

Ali Velshi

Padma Lakshmi

Deborah Douglas

Brian Babylon

Heidi Stevens

Laura Washington

Eddie Aruzza

Val Warner

Odette Yousef

Jessica Malkin

Paris Schutz

Meredith Stricker

Carolina Sarassa

Dave Holmes

Jon Greenberg

Andrew Barber

Mellody Hobson

Jane Harman

Neil Stevenson

Kevin Pang

Jay Smooth

Debbie Millman

Desiree Rogers

Touré

Gigi Pritzker

Gretchen Carlson

Rachel Bronson

Brandis Friedman

Steve Edwards

Jamil Smith

Kelly Leonard

Lin Brehmer

Laura Desmond

Jason Henrichs

Bethany McLean

Monica Eng

Dustin Yellin

Carol Coletta

Dorri McWhorter

Anil Dash

Bob Morgan

Phylicia Rashad

Soledad O'Brien

Molly Wood

Jessica Yellin

Lola Wright

Cheryl Corley

Keisha Howard

Tricia Eck

Celeste Headlee

Barbara Starr

Bobby Ghosh

Ji Suk Yi

Amanda Seales

Maryam Saleh

Eric Becker

Myra Greene

Valerie Lies

Stephanie Gosk

Mats Lederhausen

Kavita Shukla

Linda Cohn

Adam Benforado

Geoff Brigham

Kelly Rizzo

Kate Sullivan

Katherine Lanpher

Michael Arndt

Sonny Garg

Nick Turner

Dan Abrams

Richard Stengel

Ted Fishman

Michael Slaby

Ally Love

Jud Snyder

Jessica Wohl

Robin Givhan

Cindy Mori

Karen Jordan

Charles Duhigg

Mick Dumke

Campbell Brown

Kelly Grier

Anne Thompson

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