Mission

Collectively, we have it backwards. The vast majority of our amassed intelligence and imagination is consumed by commerce, from grand efforts to build wealth to granular activities like selling movie tickets and deodorant. While we donate some time and treasure, efforts that serve the greater good are severely undermanned.

Insight Labs lures the smartest, most creative, most influential people out of boardrooms and darkened auditoriums to get them engaged in designing a better world.

Our work is based on four beliefs: groups that serve the greater good – and not just organizations that pay us – deserve our best thinking; new truths emerge from collisions – of multiple perspectives, multiple experiences, in confined quarters; creativity and innovation emerge when you kill posturing and politics; and one shared vision is more meaningful and more powerful than an ocean of good ideas, even if the shared vision isn’t perfect.

History

The prototype for Insight Labs was developed at a Chicago coffee shop in summer 2006 by the three employees of then-Leitner Public Affairs: Nicole Plenge, Andie Thomalla and Jeff Leitner. The Labs – known initially by a cleverer, but potentially off-putting name – was developed to help solve an immediate internal problem. The result was the hiring of Andrew Benedict-Nelson, who in 2007 launched Chicago Wonk, a second progenitor of the Labs, and who today is Insight Labs director of content.

Insight Labs were re-oriented to philanthropy during a breakfast at a Detroit hotel in spring 2008. The initial humanitarian Lab launched a collaboration of the area’s largest employers, ultimately resulting in changes in the Michigan community college system.

The current form of Insight Labs was birthed in the backyard of a home in Downers Grove, Illinois in spring 2009. The initial Lab of this era – for senior executives concerned about business ethics – was the first to be held at Manifest Digital, which later became the Labs’ founding sponsor; the second Lab – for the region’s leading children’s hospital – was the first to include Howell Malham, Jr., who became co-founder of the Labs and director of publishing and media.

In its first 18 months as a full-time initiative, Insight Labs held 20 strategy sessions or conferences, leveraging more than 300 of the best and brightest to spark original thinking, including new models for donor engagement, volunteer engagement, market positioning and changing consumer behavior.

Team

	Jeff Leitner, Founder & Dean Jeff is founder and dean of Insight Labs. He is a speaker, panelist and writer on emerging models of philanthropy and civic engagement. He is a member of governing or advisory boards for several corporate, civic and philanthropic organizations, including 10,000 Blankets and UX for Good – both of which he co-founded. Prior to Insight Labs, Leitner had an eclectic career in public affairs, journalism and social work. He holds degrees from the University of Texas and The Ohio State University. @insightlabs
	Howell J. Malham Jr., Co-Founder & Director Howell is co-founder and director of publishing and media for Insight Labs. He was a founding partner of the new media agency DIGITAAL and a writer for the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. He holds a degree from Arizona State University. @thenewarchitect
	Andrew Benedict-Nelson, Director Andrew is director of content for Insight Labs. He is a writer whose work has appeared in the The Times Literary Supplement, Bookmarks Magazine and Partisans.org. He holds degrees from Northwestern University and the Johns Hopkins University, where he wrote his thesis on the history of Spanish medicine. @benedictnelson

Contact

Alumni and invitees: Jeff
Publishing and media projects: Howell
Content: Andrew
Press inquiries: Lisa
If you prefer to leave a voicemail for any of us, please call (312) 725-6895.
Our mailing address: 35 E. Wacker Drive, Suite 1000, Chicago, IL 60601.

Sponsors

Manifest Digital Founding partner Jim Jacoby: “As an interactive consultancy, Manifest focuses on activities that expand our thinking, touch people and companies in new ways, and find paths to the societal implications of our work. In many cases, this means taking an entirely new view, one that our clients even find challenging at times. We believe that’s our job.  “Insight Labs, like no other operation, brings such diverse groups of exceedingly intelligent people together that we are simply smarter and better for being associated with it. Not to mention, our people learn from every session and the insights often directly influence the work we are doing today. If our job is to make businesses better, we have to constantly make ourselves better. Insight Labs do just that. We are proud to be the founding sponsor and active participants.” @manifestdigital

Greentarget Founding partner Aaron Schoenherr: “At Greentarget, we boil our approach to strategic communications down to a simple tagline – Direct the conversation. The organizations we work with have made a deliberate decision to participate in an evolving dialogue they can’t control, but which carries tremendous benefit and credibility when directed properly. We’ve realized that this approach to ongoing conversations with stakeholders is extremely powerful among organizations that serve societal needs. As a result, our team clamors for opportunities to support these organizations as it energizes and refocuses our approach and our thinking in all other areas.  “We believe the Insight Labs has discovered something profound within this dynamic. We want to be part of that. We want more people to understand.” @greentarget

Credits

This wonderful site is the vision of our newest collaborator, designer Dan Leu; our three-time collaborator, developer Brett Gilbert; and our photographer, Katie Scarlett Brandt. It is the latest evolution of a grander imagination birthed, nurtured and loosed by our muse, designer Marnie Breen Vosper, and our friends, designers David Everly and Nick Petticrew.

The artists whose work appears here have graciously contributed or licensed the digital images of their work to the Insight Labs. We are deeply grateful.