James Robert Wilburn has been appointed to the State Workforce Development Board by Gov. Nathan Deal. Wilburn serves as director of the Military Program offered at Georgia Tech Professional Education. Having served more than 22 years in the U.S. Army, Wilburn leads the program from personal experience. He worked to develop the Military Program to help veterans transition from the service to the corporate workforce. The comprehensive four-week training program — the first of its kind in the nation —helps soldiers transition smoothly into the civilian workforce. Working with corporate partners, the program celebrates a success rate of 100 percent in placing soldiers into employment since its inception in 2013.

Wilburn earned a bachelor’s degree from New Mexico State University, a master’s degree from Indiana University, and a doctorate from Vanderbilt University. He and his wife, Kristen, reside in Savannah.