MaryJane is a business professor and creator of The Biggest Ask, an educational website and blog dedicated to surrogacy.
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After completing her MBA, Eloise Drane founded Family Inceptions, a full-service surrogacy and egg donation agency. Eloise also hosts Fertility Café, an educational podcast on modern family building, and is the creator of digital courses on independent surrogacy, Surrogacy Roadmap.
Eloise knows that compassion and grace are necessary ingredients for the delicate journey that egg donation and gestational surrogacy can be for all parties. She understands the importance of empowerment and encouragement within the family creation process.
Eloise’s passion and unparalleled empathy blossomed from her own experience as an egg donor six times and a gestational surrogate three times.
When she isn’t guiding others in making family legacies, Eloise can be found fostering the relationships in her own family, reading, traveling, and spending quality time with her husband and children.
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Indra Lusero is founder of Elephant Circle and the Birth Rights Bar Association. Indra's family has been in the Northern New Mexico and Southern Colorado area for generations. As a Queer, Genderqueer, Latinx parent rooted in this region, Indra is attuned to the importance of people on the margins and our role in leading the dismantling of oppressive systems to build a more equitable world. Indra helped pass legislation in Colorado to eliminate the shackling of incarcerated women during pregnancy and birth, to improve midwifery and birth center regulations, and to create more humane policies for families impacted by substance use. Indra also spearheaded the creation of "Birth Rights: A resource for everyday people to defend human rights during labor and birth."
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Since beginning her journalistic career in 1993 as an intern at CNN’s Larry King Live, Ginanne Brownell has covered stories in over 45 countries and on six continents. She worked on staff for CNN (Washington, DC) and Newsweek (London) and is currently a London-based freelance writer covering arts, culture, development and education stories.
Her writing has been appeared in publications including the New York Times, Financial Times, CNN, Conde Nast Traveller, Wall Street Journal, National Public Radio, Scientific American, Salon, Foreign Policy and Washington Post. She has also done media consulting for UNICEF and J.K. Rowling’s Lumos Charity. Ginanne is the co-founder of she-files.com, a webzine highlighting stories about women written by women.
Ginanne is in the process of completing two narrative non-fiction books. "How I Became Your Mother: My Global Surrogacy Journey", is both a personal memoir about becoming a parent through surrogacy and also a journalistic deep dive examining a number of debates, discussions and conversations taking place internationally about surrogacy. Meanwhile her book "Ghetto Classics: How a Youth Orchestra Changed a Nairobi Slum" examines the role that music can play in community development.
Most importantly, she is the very proud mom of cheeky but exceedingly sweet three-year-old twins who were born via surrogacy in Illinois.
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Dr. Guy Ringler is board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. He is a proud partner with California Fertility Partners.
As a child, Dr. Ringler grew up in suburban Detroit, the son of a barber and a school bus driver, with his three sisters. He graduated with honors from the University of Michigan, followed by medical school in Detroit at Wayne State University, where he received the class award for highest honors in Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr. Ringler completed post-graduate training at the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania, where he received awards for his research on placental function. Following years of clinical study and basic science research, Dr. Ringler moved west in 1990, to practice reproductive medicine with the founding physicians of California Fertility Partners.
Dr. Ringler has established a loyal patient following in Southern California and has developed an international reputation for expertise in reproductive medicine – especially surrogacy and third-party reproduction. His patients travel from Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa for his medical care. Dr. Ringler was one of the world’s first physicians to help gay men have babies through egg donation and surrogacy. He is committed to helping all members of the LGBTQ community fulfill their dreams of having children and building families.
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Gloria has a unique combination of interpersonal and technical skills, having been both an events planner and an IT specialist. Over the years, she has executed and designed trade shows with clients that include high-profile celebrities, Fortune 500 corporations for IT World Canada, and OutsourceWorld LLC. Gloria now manages a team of case managers and heads donor and surrogacy programs at Donor Concierge. Gloria has worked in the fertility field since 2013 and is an expert on egg donation, gestational surrogacy, and fertility care management.
Her warm and enthusiastic personality, along with flawless precision and attention to detail, has helped contribute to her success and client satisfaction. Gloria speaks fluent Mandarin and English. She is married with three young children.
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Jonathon Narducci is an award-winning commercial and music video director and cinematographer. He graduated from the University of Iowa, receiving his BA in Film and Comparative Literature with a focus in documentary filmmaking. Prior to the University of Iowa, Jonathon studied art and photography in Paris through Parsons School of Design. It was the time spent in Paris that ignited his love for cinema.
Jonathon’s feature-length directorial debut, Love Me, was an official selection at HotDocs Film Festival in Toronto. The film’s premier and success at HotDocs led to its distribution in over 20 countries worldwide. Additionally, Love Me is currently available for streaming on Netflix. His sophomore feature documentary, Ghosts of the Republique, is currently in post-production. The film follows the trials and tribulations of a gay French couple attempting to have a child through surrogacy, despite France’s national ban against surrogacy. Jonathon has also worked as the Director of Photography on the critically acclaimed international film, Out of the Village, which has premiered at more than 70 film festivals around the world.
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Dr Camille Hammond is a passionate leader wife and mother. She is national expert in reproductive health and adoption education support advocacy and philanthropy. She is also the owner of the publishing house Guud Books about Tough Topics and the author of several books. She is the co founder and CEO of the Tinina Q Cade Foundation (CadeFoundation.org) and her articles have been published in both peer reviewed journals and magazines and newspapers throughout the US.
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Andrea Syrtash is a Relationship Expert and the Founder of pregnantish.com, the first media site exclusively dedicated to helping singles, couples & LGBT navigate fertility treatments and infertility. A regular on-air personality, Andrea’s hosted television shows for Oprah’s OWN, Discovery and Fox; and regularly appears as a guest expert on TV and radio shows across the country. She’s the author of popular books including, “He’s Just Not Your Type (And That’s a Good Thing)” and “Cheat On Your Husband (With Your Husband)” published by Penguin-Random House. Andrea frequently speaks about how to improve relationships, most recently at the TEDx ‘Makers’ Conference, and is the host of the Pregnantish Podcast, which captures the stories of people who built their families against all odds. Andrea is committed to breaking the taboo of infertility, and elevating the conversation about what it takes to start a family for millions of people today.
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Jay Nault is a proud husband of over ten years and proud father of three children. He owns an online marketing consulting firm. He is also a writer with an upcoming book about his and his wife’s surrogacy experience. In the meantime, you can read more on his blog at flipflopsinkiev.com.
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Born and raised on the big island of Hawaii, Ashley Mareko knows the value of “ohana” (family), whether by blood or friendship. This strong tradition has been a guiding principle to Ashley as a 3-time(!) surrogate and through a career providing support to the surrogate community and intended parents. She feels blessed to be doing what she loves making a difference in people’s lives.
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Stephanie Jones is a former automotive engineer and now works as a serial entrepreneur, executive coach, and business consultant. Stephanie is passionate about advancing surrogacy laws in Michigan and helping educate intended parents about the surrogacy journey regardless of where you live. After having a son and then experiencing two rare cornual ectopic pregnancies and a near death experience, surrogacy was Stephanie and her husband’s only option for expanding their family with a child that shared their DNA.
Interesting facts about Stephanie include that she raced ATV motocross, was nominated to the Miss Michigan pageant, was a top athlete in high school, likes dogs more than people (on most days), is obsessed with 1950’s vintage fashion, mud wrestled in Vegas, loves a good tequila on the rocks, and will always be a small-town Michigan girl no matter where life takes her.
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For Kaspar and his husband starting a family meant the world. Literally. They travelled from Denmark to the US to fulfill their dreams of having twins. Coming from a country were surrogacy is considered a legal grey zone, planning their journey went beyond budgeting for immense economic and emotional costs. They also had to factor in potential legal backlash, insurance problems and one looong flight home.
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Ursila McFadden experienced a devastating 39 week loss during her first surrogacy journey. Her story is heartbreaking, but also inspiring and filled with hope. Ursila went on to have two successful surrogacy journeys and become a case manager for a surrogacy agency, Kindred Surrogacy, helping others.
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Shelly is the Marketing Manager for Men Having Babies so she gets to help hundreds of couples a year have babies. She helps empower and educate men on the process and the steps to make sure they’re making the best decision for them and their family!
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Sherman grew up in Ohio and enjoys a successful career as a chemical engineer. He and his husband longed to be parents. Unfortunately, they experienced more bumps in the road and more heartbreak than any hopeful parents should ever have to endure. Sherman is dedicated to giving back and is now the incoming chair for Men Having Babies, a non-profit dedicated to providing education and support to gay men wishing to become biological parents through surrogacy.
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Dawn Baker is the founder and Director of US Surrogacy LLC. She enjoys her family of three amazing young adult children and traveling with her husband. Dawn brings significant work experience from the legal field, having worked as a legal assistant for 20 years. Prior to her legal career, she served as a Personnel Specialist in the US Army and as Assistant to the Personnel Director on Yokota Air Base, Japan.
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Jennifer White is the Director and Co-Owner of Colorado Surrogacy, New Mexico Surrogacy, Montana Surrogacy, Texas Surrogacy and New England Surrogacy. She is also the co-host of the I Want To Put A Baby In You Podcast and a proud infertility survivor.
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Ashlee is an infertility advocate, former intended parent, mom of twins, and surrogacy agency owner. (In other words, she is a super woman!) She has been featured as an educator for All Things Surrogacy, serves as a Fruitful mentor and is a member of ASRM and SEEDS. She enjoys offering support to those battling infertility, as well as to intended parents and gestational carriers interested in surrogacy. She is the owner and founder of Family Makers Surrogacy.
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Carole LieberWilkins is a renowned Marriage and Family Therapist in the West Los Angeles area. She’s been working in family building, infertility, reproductive medicine, adoption, egg donation, sperm donation and surrogacy for the past 30 years.
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