Join us for the Innovate@UCLA 2026 Executive Leadership Awards, where we’ll explore “Workforce of the Future: Preparing for the Jobs, Skills, and Leaders of Tomorrow.”

Our signature event will take place on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at UCLA Luskin Conference Center.

Artificial intelligence, automation, and rapid technological change are transforming how organizations operate and what they need from the next generation of talent. As AI is reshaping roles across every industry, universities are reimagining how they prepare the next generation of talent, and organizations are racing to build workforces that don’t yet exist. This year’s program brings together the leaders navigating these shifts – and shaping what comes next.

We’re pleased to welcome Kevin Popović – author, entrepreneur, and innovation strategist – as our keynote speaker. Drawing on his work at the intersection of creativity, technology, and workforce development, Kevin will set the stage for an evening of candid conversation about where we’re headed and how leaders can get there first.

He’ll be joined by a distinguished panel of academic and industry executives representing both the supply and demand sides of this challenge: the educators preparing tomorrow’s workforce, and the employers and technology leaders defining what that workforce will need to do.

We will also recognize this year’s Executive Leadership Award recipients – outstanding leaders across Southern California who drive innovation, transformation, and meaningful impact in their organizations and communities. Nominations are now open. We encourage you to nominate a deserving colleague or peer: Submit Your Nomination.

As we’ve done for nearly four decades, we will bring you perspectives you won’t find anywhere else – grounded in real experience and shaped by the rapid change transforming our economy and our organizations.

Join us for an evening of recognition, inspiration, and the dialogue that makes our annual gala the premier gathering for Southern California’s technology and business leaders.

More details to follow soon.

About Innovate@UCLA Executive Leadership Awards

The Innovate@UCLA Executive Leadership Award (ELA) recognizes the exceptional creation of value to achieve a company’s vision via the application of innovative, forward-thinking, and disruptive technologies and operating models.