Ed Welburn

ED WELBURN

Ed Welburn is known as “the designer who returned beauty to General Motors Design.”  He was raised in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia and is a graduate of the Howard University College of Fine Arts where he studied Design, Sculpture, and Painting.  Immediately after graduation, he began his automotive design career at General Motors Design in 1972 and Ed Welburn is the first African American hired to design automobiles for that company.  Ed’s long and storied career at GM led to him being named General Motors Vice President in charge of Design in 2003, subsequently creating the General Motors Global Design organization, leading over 1,400 creative people working in 11 design centers in 7 countries around the world.  During his career he oversaw the designs of C7 and C8 Corvette, the cars and trucks of all GM brands worldwide, as well as the presidential limousine known as “The Beast”.  He led GM Design through the turbulent years of the financial crisis and GM bankruptcy, keeping a firm focus on design, and the people of Design.

In his role leading GM Design, he affected the aesthetics of everything in GM, including graphic design, auto shoe displays, dealerships, corporate offices, as well as exhibit pavilions at Disney in Florida and Shanghai.  He created a seamless design team globally, and his influence can be felt in the next generation of automobiles worldwide.

After 44 years in design at General Motors, in 2016 Ed Welburn retired.  From his home in Pennsylvania, he continued to be engaged on a global bases, judging classic cars at automotive concourse events and is a sought-after speaker and consultant.  In addition, his creativity is expressed in new and exciting outlets including product design and exploring the fashion world through shoe design.  Ed is the founder and CEO of Welburn Media Productions, with a major feature film project under development.  He also supports organizations, schools, and universities who are developing the next generation of artist and designers.

Ed Welburn is the first automobile designer to have his archives placed in the Smithsonian Museum, he has received an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts from the College For Creative Studies in Detroit, and inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame and the Corvette Hall of Fame.  Ed is the recipient of the Trumpet Award, the Nicola Bulgari Award, Ebony 100, has received several Lifetime Achievement Awards including from the Robb Report and Car Design News based in London.  In 2022 Ed Welburn received a prestigious Emmy Award for his work with PBS.  Most important, today he enjoys time spent with family and friends.