Prudential Plaza,
130 E. Randolph St. Suite 1650, Chicago, Illinois, US 60601
Methods
Nonpartisan policy research and analysis on American public opinion on US foreign policy, global agricultural development and food security, US diplomacy, security and defense, and the global economy; briefing policymakers and influencers to shape policy discussions and debates; leadership training and development for mid-career professionals with global leadership potential; public events and education, and the development and distribution of digital content
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is an American think tank and public engagement nonprofit organization focused on global affairs located in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1922 as the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, it is an independent, nonpartisan nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization with a stated mission of "increasing knowledge of and engagement in global affairs through events and engagement experiences, leadership development programs, public opinion surveys, and research and analysis."
The council has hosted numerous presidents, prime ministers, and secretaries of state since its founding
The council is home to the Lester Crown Center on US Foreign Policy. Since 1974, the council has polled the American public to understand their views on US global engagement. The Chicago Council Survey focuses on American public opinions of foreign policy issues, highlighting trends and shifts in thinking over time.
Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri was named president and CEO of the council in 2025.
History
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1922: The council’s founding
The Chicago Council on Foreign Relations was formed during the period of fervent Isolationism in the United States after World War I. On February 20, 1922, 23 men and women, led by Susan B. Hibbard and William Brown Hale, established the council as an impartial forum for discussing foreign affairs. The council’s founders believed that World War I had catapulted the United States onto the international stage, requiring reevaluation of traditional policies and greater public awareness of foreign policy issues.
1920s-1930s: Establishing a foundation of excellence
The council remained the leading (and virtually, the only) voice on foreign affairs in the Midwest throughout the 1920s and 1930s. At a time when the mass media paid little attention to world events, the council was the region's most reliable source of international news and analysis. In 1930, the council began broadcasting discussions of foreign affairs and luncheon speeches over WGN (AM) radio.
In 1933, a young Adlai Stevenson II joined the council executive committee of the board and, in 1933, was elected president (chair equivalent). He left Chicago almost immediately, however, to work for the New Deal in Washington. In 1935, back in Chicago, he was elected president again and served a full two-year term.
Regular meetings and public lectures featuring distinguished international personalities and experts often drew thousands of guests. Speakers during this time included British Economist John Maynard Keynes, US president Herbert Hooverr, French Wartime Premier Georges Clemenceau, and former German Chancellor Heinrich Brüning.
1940s-1950s: Increasing relevance and growth
After World War II, the council pivoted to attract younger members by forming the Young Adults Group. In addition, the council introduced suburban programs to reach beyond Chicago. The council launched World Spotlight in 1955, a weekly television series airing on WTTW. The series aired for about five years and featured Council Director (president equivalent) Carter Davidson and guests, who discussed world events. The council continued to grow its core activity of private meetings and public events. Speakers during this time included First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, India prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, future Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, and US Senator John F. Kennedy.
1960s-1970s: Broadening horizons
In the early 1960s, the council's programming shifted its emphasis to the leading international issues of the day like world hunger and relations between the countries across the Atlantic. The council also began sponsoring missions to foreign countries, drawing engagement and participation from local business and civic leaders. Entering the 1970s, under the leadership of Executive Director and then president John E. Rielly, the council launched its biennial Atlantic Conference, which brought together foreign policy experts from North America, Europe, Latin America, and Africa for discussions of important themes. 1974 marked the first year the organization conducted and published results from the Chicago Council Survey, a significant undertaking to understand US public opinion on foreign policy that continues to this day.
During the post-Cold War period, the council expanded its specialized programming for business leaders, young professionals, secondary school teachers, international travelers, and the public. Programming concentrated on European development, economics, and integration, which included facilitation of exchanges between young leaders in the Midwest and Europe. At the same time, Human rights became a central topic as civil strife increased in countries around the globe.
In addition, the organization heightened its focus on trends and themes—including the global economy, democratization, sovereignty and intervention, global institutions, and a changing America—and shifted emphasis to less familiar areas of the world, especially Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Additionally, under the leadership of President Marshall M. Bouton, who succeeded Rielly, the council moved beyond its historic concentration on public education in Chicago and expanded its influence on opinion and policy regarding global issues through activities such as task forces, conferences, and study groups. In recognition of these changes, in September 2006 the council changed its name from the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and developed a visual brand identity to represent the organization's unique character and services.
2010s: A decade of change
At the start of the new decade, the council’s hired its first fellows and shifted its public programming toward transnational and global issues while emphasizing the council’s ties to the Midwest. The council's 2009 report on Global Food and Agriculture was given to President Obama’s transition team and was later implemented as the Feed the Future Initiative under the United States Agency for International Development. The Center on Global Food and Agriculture continued to produce annual reports and Global Food Security Symposia throughout the decade. The council was the city’s partner in organizing the 2012 Chicago NATO summit, where the US permanent representative to NATO addressed Council members. A year later, the very same US ambassador to NATO and widely recognized national security expert Ivo H. Daalder was named president of the council, succeeding Bouton.
At the midpoint of the decade, the council deepened its focus on global cities with the inaugural Chicago Forum on Global Cities in 2015, which continued as the Pritzker Forum on Global Cities through 2024. In 2016, the council moved into a large, modern office space and a state-of-the-art conference center and studio in Chicago’s One Two Pru buildings. In 2018, the council established the Lester Crown Center on US Foreign Policy with a gift from the Crown family in honor of long-time chairman Lester Crown and to support the council’s renowned public opinion research and expand its analysis on foreign policy issues.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented disruption to Chicago, the nation, and the world. In response, the council transitioned to virtual programming, expanding access to digital events, and reinforcing its commitment to convening a global community via digital content during a period of profound uncertainty. As in-person gatherings gradually resumed, the council marked a major milestone. On March 10, 2022, it celebrated its centennial anniversary with an in-person gala honoring former US president Barack Obama and renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma for their extraordinary contributions to advancing a more open and promising world.
2025–present
In 2025, Dr. Leslie Vinjamuri was named president and CEO of the council, succeeding Daalder. Vinjamuri joined the council from the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House) in London, where she served as director of the US and the Americas Programme, dean of the Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs, and professor of international relations at SOAS University of London. Under her leadership, the council has strengthened and expanded its role as a leading voice in international affairs, bringing a strong focus on the future international order at a time of deep geopolitical disruption, sharpening the council’s focus on global perceptions of US power and strategy at a time of great disruption for US partners and allies, extending the council’s national and international partnerships. The council formed a partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations and Princeton University’s Reimagining World Order to look at the Strategic Futures, building on the previous work of the US National Intelligence Council. During this period, the council also revived the Roundtable on the Global Economy, an initiative on Global Food Security, and a series of new Roundtables on China and the World, and one on Energy and Geopolitics.
That same year, the council marked the 50th anniversary of the Chicago Council Survey, its flagship public opinion research tracking American views on US foreign policy. And in advance of the United States' 250th anniversary in 2026, the council initiated America at 250: The Arc of Global Influence, a series examining the nation’s understanding of itself and its global role through public and private programs, expert dialogue, and a signature global forum.
Leadership
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In 1974, the council adopted a board chair and president governing structure. Prior to that, presidents were equivalent to the board chair, and the executive secretaries and then executive directors were equivalent to the president. The council added the role/title of CEO in 2023.
Each year since 2003, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs has honored distinguished individuals for their outstanding achievements in the realms of international relations, global thought leadership, and philanthropy.
2025 Global Leadership Award honorees
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The Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, former prime minister of Canada
Tanya and Michael Polsky, president, Polsky Foundation; founder & CEO, Invenergy
Regina Cross, vice president in private wealth management, Goldman Sachs
