Navigating Change Award

The Navigating Change Award is a leadership award presented by the Antelope Valley Economic Development & Growth Enterprise (AV EDGE). This year’s recipient will be celebrated during the Spring Business Summit taking place on March 19th, 2026 at the AV Fair & Event Center. This prestigious award honors individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership through their community service, significantly improving the quality of life for individuals and/or significantly helping organizations or local governments, while meeting the changing circumstances or challenges in the Antelope Valley region.  

According to AV EDGE Executive Director Drew Mercy, “Honorees are individuals who reject the idea of doing things a certain way because ‘that’s how we’ve always done it;’  Rather, they challenge the status quo with determination, innovation, and creativity, overcoming obstacles and changing landscape through collaboration and strategy.”

The AV EDGE Board members, committee, and staff are honored to announce the 2026 Navigating Change Award recipient are Aaron Valencia, who is currently the CEO/Founder of Lost Angels Career Center! AV EDGE members recognize that local leadership is essential to all thriving communities, and that is at the heart of the annual Navigating Change Award. A prestigious leadership recognition presented annually by AV EDGE. This award honors individuals who have demonstrated exemplary leadership through their community service, significantly improving the quality of life for individuals and/or significantly helping organizations or local governments while meeting the changing circumstances and challenges in the Antelope Valley region. It is a privilege to honor and celebrate the 2026 Navigating Change Award recipient, Aaron Valenica of Lost Angels Career Center.

Aaron Valencia is a builder by trade and a changemaker by nature. In 2014, as the owner of a hotrod shop in Lancaster, California, Aaron began opening his doors to local youth inviting them to hang out, turn wrenches, and learn to work with their hands. He quickly recognized that the young people gravitating to his shop weren’t just looking for a place to pass time; they were looking for connection, mentorship, and a way to stay out of trouble. What started as an informal after-school hangout soon evolved into a grassroots youth program. Aaron transformed his custom car shop into a workforce development hub, using hands-on classic car building to mentor and train underserved youth in the Antelope Valley. Today, that vision has grown into Lost Angels Career Center (LACC) a full-fledged workforce development 12-week program that serves more than 160 high-barrier, low-income, systems-impacted 18–24-year-olds annually.

Under Aaron’s leadership, LACC has equipped hundreds of young people with industry recognized skills in automotive restoration, advanced manufacturing, and aerospace fabrication. Through partnerships with local employers, the program connects graduates with high-growth, living-wage career pathways. Join us in congratulating Aaron Valencia as this year’s 2026 Navigating Change recipient