Linda Gadsby, Esq.

Linda Gadsby is the Senior Vice President, General Counsel, and Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at NBME - National Board of Medical Examiners in Philadelphia, PA. In her role, Linda oversees the organization’s legal affairs, advises senior management and the Board of Directors, and serves as General Counsel of the United States Medical Licensing Examination. She leads the Office of the General Counsel and Organizational Affairs division, which includes Legal Services, Disability Services, Volunteer and Governance Services, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and Community Collaborations and Contributions.

With a career spanning over three decades, Linda has made significant contributions to the legal and corporate sectors. Prior to joining NBME, she spent 22 years as Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Scholastic Inc. in New York City. Her professional journey also includes roles as a labor and employment attorney for AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) and Kaye Scholer LLP (now Arnold & Porter). Linda holds a B.S. from Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations and a J.D. from New York University School of Law.

Giving back to her community, especially in support of initiatives focused on youth, education and women, is extremely important to Linda and she’s a mentor to several youth and young professionals. Linda recently concluded 8 years of service on Cornell University’s Board of Trustees, serving as a member of the Executive Committee and Chair of the Student Life Committee. She was elected an Emerita Trustee and Presidential Councillor in May 2025. She is also a member of the Dean’s Advisory Council for Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell Mosaic (an umbrella diversity organization), an Emerita member of the President’s Council of Cornell Women (which she previously Co-Chaired) and a lifetime member of the Cornell Black Alumni Association (which she previously Chaired).  At NYU School of Law, Linda was a long-serving member of the Board of NYU’s Law Alumni Association and remains an Advisory Board Member of the Law Alumni of Color Association.  She was also a Founding Member of the Stuyvesant High School Black Alumni Diversity Initiative. Linda is active in several civic organizations, including the North Manhattan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, the Essex County (NJ) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, the Metropolitan New York Chapter of The Doll League, Inc. She is also a Lifetime Associate Member of Jack and Jill of America, Incorporated.

Linda's professional and community achievements have been widely recognized. She was honored with the 2025 Alpern Alumni Award by Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Other accolades include being named one of the Top 50 Corporate Counsel by OnCon in 2024 and 2022, one of the Top 100 Most Influential African American Leaders in Business by the National Diversity Council, and one of the Top 100 Women in Business by the National Women’s Conference in 2022. She has also been recognized as one of the Nation’s Best Lawyers of Color in 2019, one of the Most Influential Black Lawyers in 2015 and 2018 by Savoy Magazine; a Distinguished Alumni by NYU School of Law, and an Outstanding Leader in the field of Education by The Consulate General of Barbados at New York.