Honoring the 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award Winners

Dr. Ashlee T. Fontes is a powerhouse in the world of sports, redefining leadership and breaking barriers in the male-dominated industry of soccer. A record-setting soccer player at Florida State University (FSU), she helped lay the foundation for FSU’s rise as a national contender in women’s soccer before turning her focus to transforming the sport on a global scale. A visionary architect of the women’s game, her impact spans every level — from grassroots to the global stage.
As the founder of TLH Reckoning, she launched Tallahassee’s first-ever pre-professional women’s soccer club, creating a vital pathway for athletes in underserved regions. She co-founded The Girls Academy, the nation’s only all-girls elite soccer platform; saving the soccer dreams of tens of thousands of girls across the country; securing a historic partnership with Major League Soccer while amplifying the voices of young female athletes.
Dr. Fontes made history as the first female of color to lead United Soccer Coaches, the largest coaches’ organization in the world, where she championed advocacy and equity for thousands of coaches. A founding executive of the Washington Spirit and the first female of color to lead a professional sports franchise in the world, she played a pivotal role in shaping the National Women’s Soccer League, helping to lay the foundation for its future success.
Holding a Ph.D. in Sport Management from Florida State University, Dr. Fontes blends academic expertise with executive leadership. Recognized in major media, including WCTV’s We Are Women series, her legacy is one of innovation, advocacy, and a relentless pursuit of equity in soccer. Her trailblazing efforts have been widely recognized, including the Oasis Trailblazer Award, featured in the Tallahassee Democrat, celebrating her groundbreaking contributions to women’s sports.
Dr. Fontes has not only made history — she’s shaped the future of the game for 30 years — a career defined by innovation, leadership, and an unwavering commitment to the advancement of women in sports — cementing her legacy as arguably one of FSU’s most influential alumni in women’s sports.

Dr. Arthur S. Clements earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Florida and a Ph.D. from Florida State University, later attending medical school at the University of Monterrey and completing his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tulane University’s Charity Hospital, where he served as chief resident.
After returning to Tallahassee in 1981, he founded North Florida Women’s Care in 1985, which has since become the largest women’s healthcare provider group in the Big Bend area. Today, this award-winning practice employs 120 staff members, including 13 physicians and 12 nurse practitioners or physician assistants.
During his career, Dr. Clements has served as President of the Florida Obstetrics and Gynecology Society (FOGS) and held executive roles within the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). He served as Chair of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital twice. During this time, he successfully advocated for the acquisition of an ultrasound unit for labor and delivery and the establishment of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). From 2002 to 2006, Dr. Clements was appointed by the Florida Cabinet to serve on the Neurological Injury Compensation Association (NICA) Board.
He has also been involved with Florida State University College of Medicine since its inception in 2000. He was a founding clerkship faculty member and played a key role in developing the third-year Ob/Gyn curriculum. From 2003 to 2008, he served as the first Tallahassee Campus Clerkship Director, later spending two years as the Education Director of the Ob/Gyn Department. In 2005, he initiated an innovative distance learning course for medical students on the rural practice track at Jackson County Hospital (Marianna, FL) and Archibald Memorial Hospital (Thomasville, GA). He received the FSU College of Medicine Outstanding Clinical Professor Award in 2006 and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Excellence Award in 2013.
Among his many professional accolades, Dr. Clements most values his recognition as a faculty member at FSU’s College of Medicine. Notably, he received the FSU College of Medicine Outstanding Clinical Professor Award in 2006 and the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics Excellence Award in 2013.
Dr. Clements credits much of his success to the unwavering support and invaluable advice of his wife, Dr. Patricia Clements, as well as the love and encouragement of his two daughters, Claire Ryals Clements and Dr. Meredith Merlau Clements.

Dr. Yun-Hwa Peggy Hsieh earned her B.S. degree in Food and Nutrition from Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan, her M.S. in Animal Science from Purdue University, and her Ph.D. in Food Science from FSU. She began her academic career in 1993 as a faculty member in the Department of Nutrition and Food Science at Auburn University in Alabama. After a decade at Auburn, she joined FSU as the Betty M. Watts professor in the Department of Nutrition, Food and Exercise Sciences within the College of Human Sciences.
Her research primarily focuses on developing rapid immunochemical methods to ensure food safety and food quality. Her innovative work has resulted in 11 patented and 12 licensed technologies, including seven commercially available rapid test kits used internationally. These kits are instrumental in detecting specific food ingredients and food allergens. Notably, two types of kits, resembling COVID home testing kits, have achieved wide global adoption since the early 2000s. One of these kits helps prevent Mad Cow Disease, contributing significantly to its effective control, while the other kit detects pork in food, addressing a critical need for individuals observing dietary restrictions in Muslim and Jewish communities.
Hsieh has been an invited speaker at over 80 national and international conferences, and has published 87 peer-reviewed journal articles. She has served as a frequent reviewer for 28 professional journals, and is an editorial board member for seven of them. Her contributions have earned her several prestigious awards at FSU, including the Distinguished Alum Award (CHHS, 2002), Graduate Mentor Award (2010), Faculty Excellence Award (CHHS, 2015), and Innovator Awards (2006–2015). She served as an invited guest professor at Kyoto University in Japan for seven months. She is an elected Fellow of the International Academy of Food Science and Technology (IAFoST) and the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).
After retiring from FSU in 2016 with Professor Emerita status, Hsieh continues to contribute to licensed projects and serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council.
Hsieh has been married to her husband, Ping, for 50 years. Together, they have two daughters and five grandchildren. They currently reside at Westminster Oaks Retirement Community, where she is actively involved in volunteer work. She joyfully serves as a “Sparkler,” providing compassionate support for dementia residents, and is a member of the Sparkler Steering Committee, Scholarship Committee, Wellness Program task force, and several other programs.