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A Network of Global Thought Leaders
Chicago Ideas brings together global thought leaders to examine the most pressing issues and provocative ideas of our time.
Popular Speakers
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Chicago Ideas seeks great ideas across every discipline from all over the world. Suggest a speaker for our community of curiosity today.
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Luis von Ahn
Computer Science Professor, Carnegie Mellon; Founder & CEO, reCAPTCHA & Duolingo
Mitch Albom
Author, Playwright & Screenwriter
Rafael Alvarez
Founder & CEO, Genesys Works
Megan Amram
Writer, Parks and Recreation
Greg Anderson
Anderson & Roe Piano Duo
Major General Marcia Anderson
Deputy Chief of the Army Reserve
Jack Andraka
2012 Intel Science Fair Grand Prize Winner
Jason Aramburu
CEO, re:char
Mark Arnoldy
CEO, Possible
Rinat Aruh
Co-Founder, aruliden
Felicity Aston
Explorer, Speaker & Author
Brian Babylon
Comic & Radio Host
Petra Bachmaier
Multimedia Artist, Luftwerk
Dan Barasch
Co-Founder, Lowline
Robyn Beavers
Director of Commercialization for Water & Power Technologies, DEKA R&D Corp
Keith Bellows
Senior Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, National Geographic Travel Media
Scott Belsky
Founder & CEO, Behance
Richard Berk
Professor of Statistics and Criminology, University of Pennsylvania
Charles Best
Founder & CEO, DonorsChoose.org
Thomas Beug
Co-Creator, This is My City
Cynthia Bir
Professor of Biomedical Engineering & Director of Research for Orthopaedic Surgery, Wayne State U...
Alan Blaustein
Founder, CarePlanners
Chris Bliss
Comedian, Variety Artist & Writer
Raymond Bonner
Pulitzer Prize Winning Investigative Journalist; Author, "Anatomy of Injustice"
Bob Bowman
Renowned Swimming Coach of Michael Phelps
Brandon Boyd
Lead Singer & Lyricist, Incubus
Stephen Bradberry
Community Organizer & Executive Director, Alliance Institute, Inc.
Adam Braun
Founder, Pencils of Promise
Tom Brokaw
Special Correspondent, NBC News
Lisa Brummel
Chief People Officer, Microsoft
Dexter Bullard
Director & Head of Graduate Acting, The Theatre School, DePaul University
Ron Bullock
Chairman, Bison Gear and Engineering Corp.
Brian Burkhart
President & Chief Word Guy, SquarePlanet Presentations
LeVar Burton
Host & Executive Producer, Reading Rainbow & Co-Founder, RRKidz
Peter Byck
Professor, Arizona State University Global Institute of Sustainability; Director, "Carbon Nation"
Michael Carter
Founder & CEO, Strive for College
Jean Case
CEO, The Case Foundation
Steve Case
CEO, Revolution; Chairman, Startup America Partnership
Steve Casey
Board President, Fresh Moves
Elaine Chang
Founder, Social Teeth
Arun Chaudhary
SVP of Communications, Revolution Messaging
Deepak Chopra, M.D.
"New York Times" Best-selling Author & Founder, The Chopra Foundation
George Church
Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School; Director of PersonalGenomes.org
Carter Cleveland
Founder & CEO, Art.sy
Elizabeth Cohen
Senior Medical Correspondent, CNN
Yael Cohen
Founder, President & CEO, Fuck Cancer
Micaela Connery
Founder, Unified Theater
Ken Connor
Chairman, Center for a Just Society
Martin Cooper
Inventor, Entrepreneur & Futurist
Natalie Coughlin
12-time Olympic Medalist
Madison Cowan
Chef & CEO, Madison Cowan, LLC
Donna Cox
Director, Advanced Visualization Laboratory at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Lynne Cox
Author & Extreme Open Water Swimmer
George Crabtree
Departments of Physics, University of Illinois at Chicago & Materials Science Division, Argonne N...
Kohl Crecelius
CEO & Co-Founder, Krochet Kids International
Susan Credle
Chief Creative Officer, Leo Burnett USA
Thierry Daher
Founder & CEO, Caid Productions
Eric Daigh
Portraitist
William Daley
Former White House Chief of Staff & Former Secretary of Commerce
Paul Dateh
Musician, Composer & New Media Artist
Taryn Davis
Founder & Executive Director, American Widow Project
Jim DeRogatis
Co-Host, Sound Opinions
Krista Donaldson
CEO, Design Revolution
Kevin Dowling
VP of Research & Development, MC10
Lauren Drain
Author, "Banished: Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church"
Michael Duffy
Executive Editor, TIME & Washington Bureau Chief
Giles Duley
Photographer, Writer & Storyteller
Nikki Durkin
Founder, 99dresses.com
Liz Dwyer
Education Editor, GOOD Magazine
Tricia Van Eck
Artistic Director, 6108NORTH
Kathleen Edwards
Musician
Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel
Vice Provost for Global Initiatives and Chair of Medical Ethics & Health Policy, University of Pe...
Mayor Rahm Emanuel
Co-Chairman, Chicago Ideas; Mayor, City of Chicago
James Fallon
Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine
Elizabeth Fenner
Editor-in-Chief, Chicago Magazine
Tim Ferriss
Angel Investor & Author, "The 4-Hour Workweek"
Lupe Fiasco
Grammy Award Winning Hip Hop Artist
Chrystia Freeland
Editor, Thomson Reuters Digital
Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson
Mayor of Gary
Jason Fried
Co-Founder & CEO, 37signals
Jena Friedman
Comedian & Writer
John Friedman
Assistant Professor of Public Policy, Harvard Kennedy School
Marcelo Garcia
Chester and Helen Siess Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois ...
Ryan Garcia
366 Random Acts of Kindness
Helene Gayle
President & CEO, CARE USA
Nancy Gibbs
Deputy Managing Editor, TIME; Co-Author, The Presidents Club
Jim Gilliam
Founder & CEO, NationBuilder
Peter Gleick
President & Co-Founder, Pacific Institute
Austan Goolsbee
Professor of Economics, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Bing Gordon
General Partner, KPCB
Dana Gordon
Founder, Designer & Director of Dana Rebecca Designs
Elizabeth Gore
Vice President of Global Partnerships, United Nations Foundation
Brad Goreski
Celebrity Fashion Stylist; TV Personality, Bravo’s It’s A Brad, Brad World
LZ Granderson
Contributor & Senior Writer, ABC & ESPN
David Gregory
Former Newsman, NBC & Author, How's Your Faith: An Unlikely Spiritual Journey
Dina Griffin
President, Interactive Design Architects [IDEA]
Ellen Gustafson
Founder & Executive Director, The 30 Project
Mark Halperin
Editor-at-Large and Senior Political Analyst, TIME
Phil Hansen
Multimedia Artist & Author
Kamala Harris
Attorney General, State of California
David Haugh
Chicago Tribune Columnist, "In the Wake of the News"
Graham Hawkes
CEO, Hawkes Ocean Technologies
Natalie Haynes
Author, "The Ancient Guide to Modern Life"
John Heilemann
National Affairs Editor, New York Magazine
Shawn Henry
President, CrowdStrike Services
Andrew Hessel
Autodesk Distinguished Researcher
Graham Hill
Founder & CEO, LifeEdited
Kelly Amonte Hiller
Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse, Northwestern University
Sandra Holl
Pastry Chef & Owner, Floriole Cafe & Bakery
Dennis Hong
Founding Director, Robotics & Mechanisms Laboratory at Virginia Tech
Chris Hughes
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, The New Republic
Andrew Young III
Chief Executive Officer, GiveLocally.net
Sonya Jackson
Founder & Principal, Mantra for Good
AJ Jacobs
Author, "Drop Dead Healthy"
Mitchell Joachim
Associate Professor in Practice, New York University
Garett Jones
Professor of Economics, George Mason University
Tim Kafalas
Co-Creator, This is My City
Peter Kageyama
Author, For the Love of Cities; Founder, Creative Cities Summit
Shalini Kantayya
Director, 7th Empire Media
Dr. Art Kellermann
Director, RAND Health
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
President, Waterkeeper Alliance Works
Deborah Kenny, Ph.D.
Founder & CEO, Harlem Village Academies
Greg Kot
Co-Host, Sound Opinions
Akshay Kothari
Co-founder & CEO, Pulse
Wayne Kramer
Founder, Jail Guitar Doors USA
Logan LaHive
CEO, Belly
Jeanne Marie Laskas
Author, "Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys, an Extraordinary Exploration of the Unseen ...
Nicole Lazzaro
Founder & President, XEODesign
Lilly Ledbetter
Advocate & Author, "Grace & Grit"
Randy Lewis
Senior Vice President for Supply Chain & Logistics, Walgreens
Leah Libresco
Blogger, Patheos.com
Jeff Lieberman
Artist, Scientist & Engineer
Valerie Lies
President & CEO, Donors Forum
Katie Linendoll
Technology Expert
Kirsten Lodal
CEO & Co-Founder, LIFT
Lauren Lubin
Producer, "We Exist"
Jay Parkinson, MD, MPH
CEO & Co-Founder, Sherpaa
Elle Macpherson
Actress & Model; CEO, Elle Macpherson Intimates
Brooke Magnanti
Research Scientist & Author, "The Sex Myth"
Simon Majumdar
Author, Food & Travel Writer
Toni Maraviglia
Co-Founder, Eneza Education
General Stanley McChrystal
Retired Four-Star General
Dan McLaughlin
Golfer in Training, The Dan Plan LLC
James Bradfield Moody
Co-Author, "The Sixth Wave: How to Succeed in a Resource-Limited World"
Walt Mossberg
Technology Columnist, The Wall Street Journal
Kiel Murray
Development Executive, Pixar Animation Studios
Kimbal Musk
Executive Director, The Kitchen Community
Naomi Natale
Founder & Director, One Million Bones
Josh Nesbit
CEO, Medic Mobile
Brad Newman
Founder & Chairman, GiveLocally.net
Rick Nielsen
Lead Guitarist, Cheap Trick
Edward Norton
Actor, Philanthropist & Co-Founder, CrowdRise
Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Mayor, City of Philadelphia
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
Academy Award-winning Filmmaker & Journalist
Kennedy Odede
President & CEO, Shining Hope for Communities
Carlos Javier Ortiz
Documentary Photographer
Wendy Pabich
Founder & President, Water Futures
Mayor Annise Parker
Mayor, City of Houston
Eboo Patel
Founder & President, Interfaith Youth Core
Eva Paterson
President, Equal Justice Society
Monique Pean
Eco-Friendly and Sustainable Fine Jewelry Designer
Jonah Peretti
Founder & CEO, BuzzFeed
Tiffany Persons
Founder, Shine on Sierra Leone
Bre Pettis
Founder & CEO, MakerBot
Sally Pipes
President and Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Research Institute
Jessica Posner
Co-Founder & COO, Shining Hope for Communities
Borris Powell
Fashion Designer
General Colin Powell
Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and U.S. Secretary of State
AK Pradeep
Chairman, Nielsen NeuroFocus
Shaifali Puri
Executive Director, Scientists Without Borders
James Ramsey
Founder & Owner, RAAD Studio
Aza Raskin
Founder & CEO, Massive Health
James Marshall Reilly
Author, "Shake the World: It's Not About Finding a Job, It's About Creating a Life"
Seth Reiss
Head Writer, The Onion
Paul Rieckhoff
Executive Director & Founder, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
Claire Robinson
Host, 5 Ingredient Fix
Judith Rodin
President, The Rockefeller Foundation
Elizabeth Joy Roe
Anderson & Roe Piano Duo
John Rogers
Lee J. Flory-Founder Chair in Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Jon Rose
Founder & President, Waves for Water
Dan Rosensweig
President & CEO, Chegg
Hanna Rosin
Senior Editor, Atlantic Magazine; Senior Editor, Slate Magazine
Theodore Ross
Author, Am I A Jew?
Deb Roy
Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, Bluefin Labs
Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger
Founder, Rudy International
Robert J. Sampson
Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences, Harvard University
Michael Sandel
Author, What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets
Deborah Sawyer
President & CEO, Environmental Design International, Inc.
Veronika Scott
Founder, The Empowerment Plan
Mike Scotti
Author, The Blue Cascade: A Memoir of Life After War and Former U.S. Marine
Jeff Semenchuk
Chief Innovation Officer, Hyatt Hotels
Lara Setrakian
Founder, "News Deeply"
Kavita Shukla
Inventor, Co-Founder & CEO, Fenugreen
Abby Jo Sigal
SVP of Innovation, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Jason Silva
Filmmaker & Techno-Philosopher
Peter Singer
Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University
Michael Skolnik
Political Director, Office of Russell Simmons
Brian Bowen Smith
Professional Photographer
Will Smith
CEO, Euclid Elements
Christopher Soghoian
Principal Technologist and Senior Policy Analyst at the American Civil Liberties Union
Thomas Stat
Founder, Partner
Richard Stengel
Managing Editor, TIME
Fisher Stevens
Actor, Director & Producer
Melissa Stockwell
First Lieutenant (Retired) & Two-Time Paratriathlon World Champion
Steve Stoute
CEO & Founder, Translation
Lisa Niemi Swayze
New York Times Best-Selling Author
Julia Sweeney
Author & Performer
Maida Swenson-Fortune
Founder, Cureeo.com
Kara Swisher
Co-Executive Editor, AllThingsD
Tom Szaky
Founder & CEO, TerraCycle
Rudolph Tanzi, Ph.D.
Professor, Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Director, Genetics & Aging Research Unit, Massachus...
Karen Tenkhoff
Development Partner, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Scott Thomas
Founder, The Noun Project
Baratunde Thurston
Founder, Cultivated Wit
Glenn Tilton
Chairman of the Midwest, JPMorgan Chase
Will Tracy
Editor, The Onion
Zach Wahls
Marriage Equality Advocate
Clemantine Wamariya
Yale University, Class of 2013
Philip Warburg
Author, Harvest the Sun
Mayor Acquanetta Warren
Mayor, City of Fontana
Martha Zuniga
Teen Adviser, Girl Up
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