Ross Wilburn
Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party
In office
January 23, 2021 – January 29, 2023
Preceded byMark Smith
Succeeded byRita Hart
Member of the Iowa House of Representatives
from the 50th district
Assumed office
January 2019
Preceded byLisa Heddens
Personal details
Born1964 or 1965 (age 58–59)
Galesburg, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Iowa (BA, MSW)
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
UnitIowa 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

  1. ^ Pfannenstiel, Brianne (May 22, 2018). "Hoping to Fund Education and Inspire: Iowa Democratic Governor Candidate Ross Wilburn". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  2. ^ iowahouse (2019-09-10). "Representative Ross Wilburn". Iowa House Democrats. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  3. ^ "Ross Wilburn (1989BASW, 1993MSW) on "Talk of Iowa" | School of Social Work - The University of Iowa". socialwork.uiowa.edu. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  4. ^ "Former Iowa City mayor, Wilburn, opens campaign for governor". AP NEWS. 2017-08-14. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  5. ^ Brennan, Paul (2021-01-25). "Ross Wilburn, former mayor of Iowa City, makes history as first Black person to lead a major political party in Iowa". Little Village. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  6. ^ "Ross Wilburn". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  7. ^ Pfannenstiel, Brianne. "State Rep. Ross Wilburn elected to lead Iowa Democratic Party as chairman". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
  8. ^ "Iowa Democrats choose state lawmaker to lead their party". AP NEWS. 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-06-12.
Party political offices Preceded byMark Smith Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party 2021–present Incumbent Iowa House of Representatives Preceded byPat Grassley 50th District 2023 – present Succeeded byIncumbent Preceded byLisa Heddens 46th District 2019 – 2023 Succeeded byDan Gehlbach
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