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.
Community Engagement Statement
Aja La’Starr is a dynamic change agent, creative visionary, and community leader who has dedicated her career to advancing healing, equity, and empowerment through the arts, education, and public service.
As the St. Louis Implementation Manager, she develops and leads community engagement strategies across the region, building partnerships with organizations, stakeholders, and residents to advance initiatives that promote health equity and work toward eliminating health disparities.
Aja is a powerful and influential voice from St. Louis, whose work spans multiple disciplines. She is an author, poet, emcee, trauma educator, and former public official, having served as both a Jennings City Councilwoman and a congressional outreach representative. Her academic credentials include a Bachelor’s degree from Xavier University of Louisiana and an MBA from the University of Phoenix, grounding her leadership in both creative practice and strategic management. Community engagement is important because the community must be at the center of any innovative solutions to help them thrive.