NBME Senior Vice President Honored with 2024 OnCon Icon Award

NBME Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer Linda Gadsby, Esq. has been awarded the OnCon Icon Top 50 Corporate Counsel Award.

The OnCon Icon Top 100 Award winners are determined through peer and community voting. Voters were instructed to select individuals who have a considerable impact on their current or former organizations, make strong contributions to their professional community through thought leadership, innovate in their professional pursuits and exhibit exceptional leadership qualities.

“I am honored to be recognized with the OnCon Icon Top 50 Corporate Counsel Award, alongside some exceptional attorneys,” Gadsby said. “I am excited to continue doing meaningful work every day, and I am committed to making a positive impact at NBME and in medical education and assessment.”

As NBME Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Gadsby oversees the legal, disability, volunteer and governance services units, along with the philanthropic endeavors of the Community Collaborations and Contributions unit. In her role as Chief DEI Officer, she has been instrumental in creating the strategy and structures underlying NBME’s commitment to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion. Gadsby has played a key role in the implementation of programs and practices that further drive DEI both within NBME and in the medical education and assessment spaces, including:

• Incorporating DEI considerations into all NBME work, such as test development, accommodations review, governance, research, innovation, recruiting and talent development.
• Co-sponsoring and hosting the Equity in Measurement and Assessment Conference to critically discuss and challenge measurement practices and promote innovative approaches that advance equity.
• Partnering with the Center for Measurement Justice to sponsor a dissertation fellowship program to support the research pursuits of individuals historically underrepresented in the measurement field.
• Collaborating with various organizations to support STEMM-focused pathway and pipeline programs with the goal of diversifying the medical and measurement workforces.

“We are grateful to have talented leaders like Linda guiding our work,” NBME President and CEO Peter Katsufrakis, MD, MBA, said. “We are proud to see that her visionary leadership has earned her well-deserved recognition from her peers, and we look forward to the enduring impact of her endeavors.” 

A second-generation immigrant and first-generation college student, Gadsby completed her undergraduate studies at Cornell University before attending New York University’s (NYU) School of Law. She has practiced law for over 30 years, starting her career at a large New York City Park Avenue law firm, specializing in labor and employment law. Her journey then led her to practice in the children’s publishing and educational sector before taking on her current role at NBME in 2020.

In addition to her work at NBME, Gadsby serves on the Executive Committee of Cornell University’s Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the Law Alumni Association at NYU. Among her notable accolades are the 2022 OnCon Top 50 Corporate Counsel Icon Award, 2022 Top 100 Most Influential African American Leaders in Business and 2023 Top 100 Women in Business recognitions.