He earned his bachelor's degree from Howard in 1972 [4] and was invited to return to his alma mater on May 7, 2016 to give a commencement speech to graduates of the College of Fine Arts.

He spent his entire design career at GM, where he worked in a variety of studios on a diverse list of vehicles, and he became the highest-ranking Black American in the automotive industry as the first-ever Vice President, GM Global Design[5] — one of seven to have held the position, including Harley Earl, Bill Mitchell, Irv Rybicki, Chuck Jordan, Wayne Cherry, and Michael Simcoe.

He notes his relationship with director Michael Bay, Paramount Pictures, and The Transformers movies featuring the Bumblebee Camaro as having been the most satisfying.

In 2019, Ed founded Welburn Media Productions is currently serving as the executive producer of a major motion picture currently under development.

In 2016, Welburn designed the new trophy for the North American Car of the Year award, which is on permanent display in the atrium of TCF Center in Detroit.

In a July 7, 2016 interview with John McElroy on the program Autoline, Welburn stated that although officially retired, he has begun the process of writing an autobiography, in addition to having been asked by General Motors CEO Mary Barra to oversee a number of future General Motors products.

The Detroit Free Press also honored him with its first-ever Difference Makers Lifetime Achievement Award,[12] and most recently his body of work was turned over to the Smithsonian Institution museum, making him the first automobile designer to earn that distinction.

In 2017, Welburn was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts by the College for Creative Studies, a leading design school, and he was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame, a recognition that he holds as his highest professional honor.