Gwynne A. Wilcox is a nationally respected labor law leader and a 2026 Honoree of the Basil and Portia Paterson Scholarship Fundraiser. She has served as a member and Chair of the National Labor Relations Board, where her work has focused on protecting workers’ rights and strengthening the integrity of federal labor law.
Ms. Wilcox is the first Black woman to serve as Chair of the National Labor Relations Board and the first Black woman to serve as a member of the Board since its creation in 1935. Her leadership is widely recognized within the labor and legal communities.
Ms. Wilcox was confirmed to the Board by the United States Senate in 2021 and reconfirmed for a second term in 2023. She served as Chair of the Board from December 2024 through January 2025.
In January 2025, Ms. Wilcox was removed from the Board prior to the completion of her Senate-confirmed term. Her removal paralyzed the Board for nearly a year, leaving it without the quorum required to protect workers’ rights nationwide. A federal court ruled that her removal violated federal statute, placing her at the center of a constitutional challenge over the independence of agencies that protect working people. Those proceedings are ongoing.
Prior to her appointment to the Board, Ms. Wilcox was a Senior Partner at Levy Ratner, P.C., a New York City labor and employment law firm. She also served as Associate General Counsel to 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East and as a labor representative to the New York City Office of Collective Bargaining. Earlier in her career, she worked as a Field Attorney for the National Labor Relations Board in Manhattan.
Ms. Wilcox holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University and a Juris Doctor from Rutgers University School of Law–Newark. She is a Fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers and has received national recognition for leadership in advancing equity and excellence in the legal profession, including the American Bar Association’s Honorable Bernice B. Donald Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Legal Profession Award.
As a 2026 Honoree of the Basil and Portia Paterson Scholarship Fundraiser, Gwynne A. Wilcox represents the values at the heart of the scholarship: a commitment to workers, respect for democratic institutions and the courage to serve with integrity at moments of national consequence.