Clea Conner

Business adviser, Connector, Entrepreneur, Explorer, Journalist, Marketer, Musician, Producer, Social entrepreneur, World traveler, Writer/Editor

Clea Conner is the principal of Art of Ideas, a strategic advisory firm that helps institutions navigate complex conversations in the public square. Previously, she served as CEO of Open to Debate, formerly Intelligence Squared U.S., where she built one of the country’s most trusted nonpartisan platforms for public debate. She scaled the organization into a global forum distributed weekly across NPR and Bloomberg, expanded its digital reach, and built partnerships across enterprise, policy, and academia. Over the past decade, she has convened more than 800 public figures across AI, geopolitics, economics, and culture. Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Politico, and RealClear Media. She was named a Media Leader at the 2024 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting and one of Crain’s New York “40 Under 40” for innovation in media.

Open-minded curiosity and the free exchange of ideas. Playing classical flute and studying opera. Scuba diving and oceanic exploration. Ceramics. NYC!

Disagreement is a pathway to learning.

Discourse, Entertainment, Entrepreneurship, Media, Politics, Public policy, Technology

Seeing hidden people