Aja La’Starr Owens is a change agent that has dedicated her life to utilizing creative arts to promote healing in the community. In her current role as an Advocacy and Mobilization Manager for the CHCM, Aja coordinates advocacy strategy and engagement, maintains relationships with key external policy and advocacy partners, and implements a dynamic, vision-aligned advocacy agenda and mobilization strategy for the organization.
Past Work
Aja La’Starr is a former Jennings councilwoman, former congressional outreach representative, author, poet, emcee, trauma educator and certified peer specialist from St. Louis, Missouri. In addition to publishing 13 books, she has helped more than 30 authors publish their own books.
She has opened up for Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, 50 Cents, Da Brat appeared on BET, ABC, Fox 2 News, KDSK, KMOX, KMOV, St. Louis Public Radio, Riverfront Times, St. Louis American, St. Louis Post Dispatch and served as a casting judge for American Idol.
As a Community Consultant for Alive & Well Communities, Aja proved instrumental in her role engaging community to address toxic stress and trauma and to encourage collaborative community change.
Education and Involvement
Aja received her bachelor’s degree in mass communication from Xavier University of Louisiana and her MBA from University of Phoenix.
Some of her most recent accolades include receiving City Hope’s Cultural Arts Award, St. Louis Black Pride’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Regal Rhythm Change Agent of The Year Award and becoming a Delux Power 100 honoree.
She recently served as an Admissions Counselor for Harris-Stowe State University, the only HBCU in St. Louis, Missouri.