Meet our Team

About Kathryn

Motherhood didn’t come easily to me. Starting in 1999, my (then)-husband and I went through 6 fresh IVF cycles, 3 frozen cycles, over 100 embryos, 3 miscarriages, two Gestational Surrogates, and an Egg and Sperm Donor to create our family. Thanks to their help, my identical twin sons were born in 2003. It was a heart-wrenching, expensive, lonely, 4-year journey and I wished that I had met others who I could have leaned on and received support from.

The Fertility Agency (formerly Agency for Surrogacy Solutions, Inc.) was created in 2004 and was inspired by my own challenging experience and the desperate need in the fertility industry for compassion combined with professionalism for each person involved. Along with Lauri de Brito, we have created an agency that is world-renowned for its ability to offer support and provide professional expertise and services well above most other agencies, while still maintaining a personal touch.

I adore being a mother (the greatest gift I’ve been given in life) and l love helping others. Prior to starting The Fertility Agency, Lauri and I were both friends and television producers. We agree that producing babies is much more rewarding than producing television. Beyond my children, I enjoy traveling, painting and snow skiing.

Kathryn is an active member of Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS), American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Men Having Babies (MHB), Parents Via Egg Donation (PVED), RESOLVE, the American Bar Association (ABA), and as a former TV producer the Producers Guild of America (PGA). She has appeared on The Today Show, Voice of America, numerous documentaries, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Wired Magazine, iParenting, Vogue and many other publications.

About Lauri

I was 37 when my then-husband and I decided to start a family. My first daughter came easily and when she was born we immediately started trying for number 2. Six and a half years, countless infertility treatments (including IUIs, IVFs, ZIFT, Donor Egg/IVF, heparin, immune testing and more), all I had to show for it was 8 heart-breaking miscarriages – so I turned to surrogacy.

I interviewed many top agencies but they were all about the money with no regard for my emotional state. We eventually “settled” for an agency and our Surrogate was wonderful, but our agency was not. We turned to my friend Kathryn (who by now had started her own agency) for support. Our first Surrogate gave birth to Kira, next came our son, Wyatt. In 2013, with different Surrogate and new Egg Donor, we added one more son, Shane, to our family. My kids are everything to me and it’s hard to remember that at one time, I was so depressed about my infertility that I could barely get out of bed.

Prior to joining The Fertility Agency in 2005, I was a TV producer. I am now living proof of ‘do what you love, love what you do’. I don’t go to ‘work’ every morning – to me, creating families is not a job, it is truly a passion. When not helping make babies, I like to try new recipes, garden, travel and help my kids grow up to be the best adults that they can be.

Lauri is an active member of Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS), American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), Parents Via Egg Donation (PVED), RESOLVE, Men Having Babies (MHB) and The Directors Guild (DGA). She has appeared on, Voice of America, numerous documentaries, plus she has been featured as an expert in articles in The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, ABC Evening News, Vogue and many other publications. She is a sought-after fertility/infertility expert at conferences around the globe.

About Heather

My passion for children and families began when I started working with special-needs children after graduating from high school. I spent 8 years working my way up at a corporate preschool from a teacher to the assistant director. Eventually I decided to open my own home daycare.

In 2010, I married and had 2 children of my own. I knew I wanted to be pregnant again but was not ready for another baby at home. That’s when I remembered that a mom from my daycare center told me she was a surrogate. A light went off and I knew that’s what I had to do.

My surrogacy was an unbelievable experience and as soon as I had my embryo transfer I knew I was ready for a career change and wanted to help others experience the same. I delivered a baby boy in 2014 and have been working in the industry ever since. Now, I enjoy helping others pursue their dream of surrogacy and spending time with my husband, (now) 3 children and pets.

About Pat

Para hablar con Pat en español llamar el número telefónico: 1.818.963.3369

Before beginning work with The Fertility Agency, I was looking for new employment opportunities. I remember visiting my hairdresser and sharing my reluctance about returning to the corporate world. I longed to find a job where I felt good about what I was doing, and was making a difference. I could see his wheels turning as he listened and said, “I have the perfect job for you”. He told me about one of his clients who worked for a surrogacy agency and how much she loved it. He referred to it as the “baby job.” Knowing how blessed I was to have a son that I had adopted as an infant, and how precious children are, I knew I would totally love helping couples/individuals have them!

Two years after he mentioned the “baby job” to me, I received a call from Kathryn letting me know that a position as Case Manager had opened up with their agency. She asked if I was interested. I was thrilled and I immediately jumped at the opportunity!

When I’m not helping creating families, I enjoy spending time with my family and close friends.

About Allyson

About Michelle

In the summer of 2016, I moved to Portland, Oregon with my teenage daughter, 2 older dogs and one cat. Having worked in the entertainment industry in Southern California for over 20 years, in the fall of 2015, I found myself yearning for a new adventure. Up until that point, I had been content with collaborating on projects that educated and/or entertained the public and now I wanted to impact people’s lives on a more personal level.

Over the years I watched many of my friends struggle with the challenges of infertility so I was thrilled when the opportunity came up to join The Fertility Agency. I saw it as an amazing avenue to work with the most incredible people from every imaginable walk of life, and help them create loving families. The journey to becoming a parent is different for everyone and I have personally have benefited from all the advances in reproductive medicine and am grateful every day for the gift of my wonderful daughter.

I find it an honor and a privilege to be able to share the surrogacy process with Intended Parents, Surrogates and reproductive specialists from around the world. As Charles Dickens once said “Tis love that makes the world go ‘round, my baby” and I hope to continue the chain of love and babies for many years to come.

Living in the Pacific Northwest, gives me the opportunity to explore beautiful new locations in my free time. I am also an avid reader, film watcher and novice gardener.

About Rochelle

I am a native Angeleno – born in Santa Monica and currently living in Sherman Oaks. After experiencing my own fertility issues, I was very fortunate to adopt my beautiful daughter from Vietnam in 1998. I was drawn to assist others and have been working in the surrogacy field for many years and with The Fertility Agency since 2009. This is such a fulfilling career.

Being a parent who suffered with infertility, I can certainly understand the need and desire to be a parent, and for many, surrogacy is the best choice. I am so honored to be part of the process of women giving the gift of life, and bringing joy to those creating or expanding their families.

I am an avid tennis player and animal lover. I have a small close-knit family that all live nearby. I enjoy movies, plays, music, reading a good book, seeing friends and keeping up with exercise

I was born and raised in Texas and currently reside there with my husband. We have a blended family of 4 boys, one girl, and a wonderful daughter-in-law. Our children are either married, in college, or the Air Force, and we are down to one 10-year-old at home. In 2016, I became a Gestational Surrogate and since then have brought four babies into the world, blessing three different families. Being a surrogate is a rewarding feeling and an experience I am forever grateful for. I knew surrogacy was my passion, where I wanted my life to go, and where my heart belonged when I saw how each parent looked at their baby with love and an appreciation that could never be replaced. I hope to help many loving families fulfill their dreams.

Jessica is an experienced surrogate who has also worked in the world of creating families for many years, finding the work to be very fulfilling. She first joined the The Fertility Agency team in 2017 first as a Surrogate Intake coordinator, working with potential and current surrogates, helping them understand the process from beginning to end. Working her way up she is now the Director of the Egg Donor Division where she works with intended parents, guiding them through the journey of building their family via egg donation. She strives to show her passion for the fertility industry in the work she does with our clients every day, utilizing the knowledge gained from both being a surrogate and having worked in the industry for several years.

In her free time Jessica enjoys reading, hosting foreign exchange students, and traveling around the world with her husband and three daughters.

About Brittany

I was born and raised in Pennsylvania where I currently reside with my husband. We have a wonderful blended family of 4 children – 2 girls and 2 boys; and 2 dogs – a Chiweenie named Peanut and a Multipoo named Butter. They are all the center of our world.

My introduction to surrogacy came in 2013 after my cousin’s wife had carried for a family. I knew this was something I wanted to do. In 2013, I became a Gestational Surrogate and have brought babies into the world for 2 separate families. Becoming a Surrogate was something that filled my heart with such joy and it is so rewarding to be able to do such an amazing thing. I have such a big passion for surrogacy and feel blessed and joyful to be able to work as a Surrogate Coordinator for The Fertility Agency.

In my free time I love watching my daughter play volleyball, swimming with our baby, watching the boys play baseball and vacationing with our entire family. I also enjoy taking walks in our local state park when the weather is nice.

About Rebecca

I was introduced to the world of infertility when friends of mine struggled to get pregnant. I wanted to help them and others like them, but how could I? Later, 2 friends of mine became surrogates. I took it as a sign! In 2018, I became a gestational surrogate and carried twins for an amazing couple. It created an amazing bond between our families and we are still in touch. That experience led me to accepting a job with The Fertility Agency. Being a Surrogacy Coordinator allows me to continue to create families and assist other women like me who want to help make that happen.

I grew up in the DMV, which to me stands for DC/Maryland/Virginia – not the Department of Motor Vehicles. . I currently reside in Pennsylvania and live in a lovely little suburb with my husband, our 3 daughters, and our Alaskan Klee Kai named Yoshi. Spending time with my family is number one on my list when I’m not working. Whether that means being a taxi for my kids to their extra curriculars, vacationing to get away for a weekend, or just snuggled up on the couch watching a movie.

About Cortney

Hi! My name is Cortney. I was born and raised in Texas, and I currently call Oklahoma home. I have been married to my wonderful husband for over a decade now and together we have three beautiful daughters. I love volunteering in my community and helping those in need. I have been a Gestational Surrogate twice and while I have retired my body, my desire to help complete families only strengthened. This is what led to my career with The Fertility Agency and I am grateful to be here. From the initial inquiry to the final stages of your journey I am here to support you!

I’m Rykia Lewis. My passion for surrogacy grew after meeting so many amazing couples and individuals throughout my surrogacy journey in 2021. After carrying for my intended parents, I knew I wanted to continue helping others build families. I am the mother of one son, Idris. I’m also a certified personal trainer. I love helping and empowering women to achieve their goals! In my spare time, I also enjoy reading romantic novels and writing short stories.

Hey! My name is Nicole. I was born & raised in Oregon; but moved south with my husband and kids to Alabama in January of 2019. My husband and I have been together about 15 years (high school sweethearts!) and married almost 5 of those years. Together we have 3 kids, & 3 dogs. As a family we love spending as much time as we can outside, traveling, as well as hosting family & friends.

I have had a passion for working with children and families since I was young. While going to school and pursuing my degree in Early childhood Education and Family Studies I also worked in my local school district as a substitute teacher as well as a teacher in a local childcare center. My introduction to surrogacy came when I was 19 and met a 2x surrogate while working in childcare. I was amazed by what she was doing to help others and all that science could accomplish. I knew surrogacy was something I wanted to pursue. Nine years later, after completing my own family, I became a surrogate. During my journey I knew that I wanted to do more, and that is what led me to my career as a Surrogacy Coordinator with The Fertility Agency.

Now I get to share my surrogacy experience every day as I try to educate and screen potential surrogates. I love what I do and can’t wait to talk to you!

Kelsie has a degree in Theatre from SDSU and a background in writing/producing/acting in the entertainment realm. She began her journey with marketing and social media back in 2017. Since she has helped create content for artists, musicians, and companies alike! She began working for The Fertility Agency in 2021 and is thoroughly enjoying helping others with their journey to create a family of their own.

When she is not helping people making dreams come true, you will find her wandering the globe in search of hidden cafes. She enjoys reading a good book, meeting new people, having a cup of tea, and hanging out with her friends and family.

About Michelle

I have a degree in Mass Communications from UCLA and a background in writing/producing/directing digital content for multiple media companies. Working for The Fertility Agency since 2019 and creating content that helps others fulfill their dreams is a constant joy.

When I’m not helping people making dreams come true, you can find me at home gardening with my awesome hubby, cooking vegan cuisine, playing soccer, or snuggling with my cat and two doggies. I also sing at weddings, but not because anyone asked me to.

“I grew up and currently live in Northeast Wisconsin. My husband and I met while I was in college and since then we got married and had 2 beautiful children who are 6 and 4 years old. In December of 2019 I began the process of looking into becoming a surrogate. While going through the process of becoming a surrogate, I had such a passion to help a family either have one or add another baby to their family. This last month (March 2023) I had my first surrobaby with the best intended parents a gestational surrogate could ask for! It was a beautiful journey and it made my desire to keep helping others that much stronger. There is just something about seeing the parents holding their baby for the first time! I hope to be able to help other Intended Parents have that beautiful first moment.”

I was born and raised in Maryland where i still reside in with my husband. We have a little boy and a cat named Codex. We have been married for almost 2 years.

I started becoming interested in surrogacy after I had met a woman at my OB’s office while I was pregnant with my son. She told me her heartbreaking story of how she had been trying for so long to have a baby and nothing was working. I started my journey as a surrogate in January of 2022 and I gave birth to a baby girl for an amazing same sex couple in October of 2022. I am on my second journey now and will be transferring in the early summer. I became interested in working for The Fertility Agency while I was on my first journey. They made my whole journey so smooth and matched me with my amazing IP’s. I love creating families and I wanted to help others create families as well through surrogacy and egg donation. I am so honored to be a surrogate and to work for The Fertility Agency who helped make my first journey happen.

My favorite things to do are spend time with my family, shop, get Starbucks, and take walks with my husband and little boy in our neighborhood.