Aaron Ross Owens

Aaron Ross Owens (born April 30, 1984) is a professional political operative, former elected Democratic Party leader, professional speaker, and founder of leadership development company Modern Valor. Aaron gained notoriety in 2006 during his unsuccessful run for the Wyoming House of Representatives at the age of 22, though he is best-known for his three-election professional opposition to Republican U.S Representative Barbara Cubin.

Biography
Early life
Owens was born April 30, 1984, at the Platte County Memorial Hospital in Wheatland, WY to David Leroy Owens and Rene Annette (Herdt) Owens. He has one younger brother, David Ross Owens, who is a musician in Denver.

In 1989, at the age of 5, Owens moved to theNebraska town of Gering (twin cities with regional shopping destination Scottsbluff). He attended Gering Public Schools for his entire K-12 education, graduating from Gering High School in May of 2002.

Though Owens was offered music scholarships to continue his education on trumpet performance after graduation, he chose to return to Wyoming to attend the University of Wyoming and study political science and economics. He joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity his sophomore year. He did not complete his education, however, and he left to pursue business and political opportunities after three years, returning occasionally on a part-time basis.

Political career
Owens' first exposure to political activism was in 2003 as the Wyoming State President of the College Democrats. In that role, he received training as a citizen lobbyist from the Equality State Policy Center.

In 2004, Owens was hired to be on the senior staff of Democrat Ted Ladd's campaign for . Owens help lead Ladd to a decisive victory in the primary election against Evanston trial lawyer John Henley. Although Ladd lost to Republican incumbent Barbara Cubin, the race attracted national attention when Cubin received only 55% of the vote in a state where Republican President George W. Bush won with over 68%.

After the 2004 election, Owens was tapped by leaders in the Wyoming Democratic Party to run for Vice Chairman of the Albany County Democratic Party. He won without opposition.

In 2006, as vice chairman of the county Democratic Party, Owens was tasked with recruiting strong candidates for each of the legislative districts in Albany County. He was eventually encouraged by party leaders to make a run, himself, for Wyoming House District 45 in Laramie, WY, where he lived. Eventually, he decided to turn down staff positions on Wyoming's Democratic Federal campaigns to enter the legislative race at the age of 22. He quickly received assistance, money, and endorsements from several prominent Wyoming political figures and organizations: including Governor Dave Freudenthal, former State Chair of the Wyoming Democratic Party Matilda Hansen (who served as his campaign co-Chair), the Wyoming Education Association, and the . Owens lost the Democratic nomination to City Councilman Seth Carson by 25 votes. Carson eventually lost in the General Election against Republican incumbent Kevin White by 10 votes.

Upon loosing his bid for the Wyoming House of Representatives, Owens joined the Washington, D.C.-based political action committee My Rural America. He directed that organization's operations in Wyoming for the remainder of the 2006 election cycle, focusing again on defeating incumbent Republican U.S. Representative Barbara Cubin. This time, the Democrats had put up Wyoming businessman Gary Trauner against Cubin. My Rural America, under Owens' leadership, was the only independent national political organization with a full time professional operation in the race. Trauner narrowly lost against Cubin by only 1,012 votes.

For the 2008 election cycle, Owens is again fighting for . Owens was the first in-state hire for Democrat Gary Trauner's second bid for the seat. This time, however, Trauner will not be facing Barbara Cubin, who announced her retirement in November, 2007. The Republican nominee will be determined in a primary election on August 19, 2008.

In addition to the above full time staff experience, Owens has advised political candidates from city council to United State Senate, and political causes from local to state ballot issues. He has also lobbied state legislators on issues as varied as alternative energy, economic development, and juvenile justice.

Modern Valor
Owens took the initial steps to found Modern Valor, a leadership development and consulting company, in December, 2007. The launch date for the company is set for November, 2008 (after the 2008 Election cycle).

The Modern Valor website claims that Owens made the decision to "leave a promising career in politics ... in order to find a better way to make a difference". The company's focus is on helping college students and young professionals develop professionally and personally. Owens splits personal development into four areas: physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual.

Christian Beliefs
After spending several years exploring various New Age and eastern religions, Owens became a Christian in the Spring of 2005 while a student at the University of Wyoming) under the discipleship of Todd Jensen with The Navigators, an interdenominational international Christian ministry.

In Owens' presentations and publications, he laments that many modern Christians have lost touch with the spiritual aspects of their faith, and that they often follow only the guidelines of a legalistic interpretation of Scripture.

Owens is co-founder and former lead teacher of the fraternity- and sorority-centered Greekside Navigators ministry at the University of Wyoming. He also is an occasional speaker with The Navigators.

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