Ross Wilburn
Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party
In office January 23, 2021 – January 29, 2023
Preceded by	Mark Smith
Succeeded by	Rita Hart
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 50th district
Incumbent
Assumed office January 2019
Preceded by	Lisa Heddens
Personal details
Born	1964 or 1965 (age 58–59) Galesburg, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Education	University of Iowa ( BA, MSW)
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Army
Unit	Iowa Army National Guard

Ross Wilburn (1964/1965) ^[1] is an American politician and social worker serving as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 50th district. Elected in November 2018, he assumed office in January 2019. Wilburn has also served as chair of the Iowa Democratic Party since January 2021.

Early life and education

Wilburn was born in Galesburg, Illinois and raised in Ames, Iowa. After graduating from high school, Wilburn joined the Iowa Army National Guard. He earned a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work from the University of Iowa. ^{[2] [3]}

Career

From 1997 to 2000, Wilburn was the graduate program director of the School of Social Work Quad Cities Center at the University of Iowa. From 2000 to 2007, he worked as the executive director of the Crisis Center of Johnson County. From 2008 to 2014, he served as the director of equity at the Iowa City Community School District. Wilburn was elected to the Iowa City Council in 2006 and served for 12 years, including for one term as mayor of Iowa City. Wilburn was a candidate for the 2018 Iowa gubernatorial election, placing last in the Democratic primary. ^{[4] [5]} He was later elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in November 2018 and assumed office in 2019. He serves as the ranking member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. ^[6] In January 2021, Wilburn became the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party. ^{[7] [8]}

References