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.

Molly Wood

Janet Bodnar

Jessica Malkin

Odette Yousef

Deborah Douglas

Adam Benforado

Anne-Marie Slaughter

Dan Abrams

Kelly Grier

Michael Arndt

Kavita Shukla

Dustin Yellin

Jud Snyder

Stephanie Gosk

Gigi Pritzker

Michael Slaby

Barbara Starr

Tricia Eck

Paris Schutz

Anne Thompson

Jamil Smith

Melissa Clark

Chuck Salter

Jenan Mohajir

Carolina Sarassa

Jason Henrichs

Lin Brehmer

Jessica Wohl

Shannon Heffernan

Neil Stevenson

Sandee Kastrul

Katherine Lanpher

Charles Duhigg

Jane Harman

Jon Greenberg

Peggy Kusinski

Dorri McWhorter

Mick Dumke

Charles Jenkins

Lola Wright

Brandis Friedman

Heidi Stevens

Ali Velshi

Jessica Yellin

Anil Dash

Valerie Lies

Soledad O'Brien

Mark Caro

Andrew Barber

David Gregory

Brian Babylon

Tom Brokaw

Ana Belaval

Cindy Mori

Bethany McLean

Cheryl Corley

Linda Lutton

Dave Holmes

Laura Washington

Mellody Hobson

Padma Lakshmi

Richard Stengel

Debbie Millman

Val Warner

Ji Suk Yi

Nick Turner

Rachel Bronson

Geoff Brigham

Terri Hemmert

Jessica Grose

Ben Johnson

Laura Desmond

Anne Munition

Eric Becker

Phylicia Rashad

Desiree Rogers

David Brancaccio

Ally Love

Mats Lederhausen

Sonny Garg

Jessica Clemons

Celeste Headlee

Carol Coletta

Steve Edwards

Kelly Leonard

Kate Sullivan

Keisha Howard

Andee Harris

Karen Jordan

Maryam Saleh

Amanda Seales

Touré

Gretchen Carlson

Ted Fishman

Campbell Brown

Linda Cohn

Jay Smooth

Eddie Aruzza

Felicia Lawrence

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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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Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Focuses on Finding Solutions for Ocean Conservation

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Jose Antonio Vargas Explores What Immigration "Looks Like" Today

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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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The Power of Your Gene Sequence

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John Carreyrou on Theranos as Silicon Valley Cautionary Tale

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

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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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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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