2024 Inductees
The Saucon Valley Alumni Association, in conjunction with Saucon Valley School District, recognized the 2024 Distinguished Alumni for the Wall of Fame on November 21, 2024, at Saucon Valley High School. The 2024 recipients were Nelson Griggs (Class of 1989) and Dr. Cristina Gonzalez (Class of 1995).
The Saucon Valley High School Student Council assisted with welcoming guests, and the high school choral ensemble opened the ceremony with the singing of the National Anthem and the Alma Mater. SVAA President, Ken Bloss, and Wall of Fame Chairman, Ron Reichard, provided opening remarks. Designated students read the biographies of the recipients. Nelson Griggs was able to attend and accepted the award and gave an overview of his accomplishments and answered questions from students. Dr. Cristina Gonzalez was able to join via Zoom and her mother accepted the award on her behalf. She also gave an overview of her accomplishments and answered student questions.
Jaime Vlasaty, Saucon Valley Superintendent, provided closing remarks congratulating recipients and bringing recognition and honor to the District.
A luncheon was provided by the school following the ceremony.
The Saucon Valley Association is grateful to the District, Student Council, high school choral ensemble and dining services staff for their assistance and participation in this annual recognition.
2024 INDUCTEE – NELSON GRIGGS CLASS OF 1989
Nelson Griggs is President of Nasdaq, leading Nasdaq’s Capital Access Platforms division, which is comprised of Data and Listings, Index and Workflow and Insights businesses. He is responsible for leading a business that serves over 10,000 corporate clients and 5,000 investor clients across the investment management ecosystem.
Previously, Nelson served as Executive Vice President of Nasdaq’s Corporate Platforms business and led global business development and relationship management with over 4,000 companies around the world. He also served as Senior Vice President of New Listings and Capital Markets in the United States and Asia attracting some of the highest-profile IPOs and transfers to Nasdaq.
Since joining Nasdaq in 2001, Nelson had held a range of leadership roles. Prior to joining Nasdaq, he worked at Fidelity Investments and a San Francisco-based startup. He graduated from Denison University in Granville, Ohio.
2024 INDUCTEE – CRISTINA GONZALEZ, MD., M.ED. CLASS OF 1995
Cristina Gonzalez, M.D., M.Ed. completed her medical education at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, her internal medicine residence at New York Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell Medical Center and her medical education fellowship at the University of Cincinnati earning a master’s degree in medical education in 2012. She was then selected as a Scholar in the Harold Amos Medical Faculty Development Program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This four-year award launched her research program designing, implementing and evaluating interventions aimed at the recognition and management of implicit bias in clinical encounters. She was subsequently selected as a Scholar in the Macy Faculty Scholars Program to continue advancing her work.
Dr. Gonzalez is currently a Professor of Medicine working locally and nationally in the development of curricular interventions for physicians across the continuum of training and practice. In 2019, she received the New Investigator Award for the Association of American Medical College’s Research in Medical Education Committee, and she was also awarded the NIH K23 for the National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities. The grant provides five years of funding to design and validate novel metrics facilitating future evaluation of interventions focused on physician implicit bias with robust, clinically relevant outcomes metrics.