| Ross Wilburn | |
| Office: | Chair of the Iowa Democratic Party |
| Term Start: | January 23, 2021 |
| Term End: | January 29, 2023 |
| Predecessor: | Mark Smith |
| Successor: | Rita Hart |
| State House1: | Iowa |
| District1: | 50th |
| Term Start1: | January 2019 |
| Predecessor1: | Lisa Heddens |
| Constituency1: | District 50 - (2023-Present) District 46 - (2019-2023) |
| Birth Place: | Galesburg, Illinois, U.S. |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Education: | University of Iowa (BA, MSW) |
| Allegiance: |  United States |
| 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 from January 2021 until 2023.
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]
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]