About Surrogate First
Our story became our Mission
SurrogateFirst was born from Lina and Jeff’s personal journey of years of infertility, travel around the world to seek advice from IVF experts and many failed transfers and personal loss. It was a challenging and time-consuming process that finally culminated in beautiful twin daughters through surrogacy.
As word got out about their surrogacy journey, friends started asking them for advice and guidance to help themselves or other loved ones. They realized there was a need for a professional comprehensive platform accompanied with care and empathy to help surrogates and intended parents navigate the surrogacy process.
Today SurrogateFirst’s team is comprised of experienced surrogates and intended parents across ten US states and Asia with the mission of making the surrogacy journey as smooth, safe and stress-free as possible for everyone involved. SurrogateFirst loves everyday on the job because there able to deliver one blessing at a time to families in need.
The Core Values We Live By at SurrogateFirst
WOW!!
- We Delight Our Intended Parents & Surrogates
- We Go the Extra Mile
- We Over Deliver
Guidance with Compassion & Expertise
- People You Can Trust
- Highly Experienced Team
- Honnest & Transparent
Personal
Attention
- High Empathy Care
- Exceptional Customer Service
- Over Communicate
What our Parents of Surro Babies say about the program
Meet our Team
Lina
Founder
Since 2009, I have consulted thousands of couples through their IVF cycles and have successfully guided over 200+ Intended Parents and Surrogates, from around the world, in their surrogate journeys. From this experience and my belief that everyone should have the opportunity to be a parent, I founded SurrogateFirst to meet the growing demands for transparency and professionalism in the world of surrogacy. SurrogateFirst’s entire team consists of experienced Surrogates and Intended Parents who serve our clients with expertise, compassion, respect and genuine love. We are excited and honored to assist you in your journey!
Director
As an intended parent struggling for almost a decade to start a family I intimately understand the challenges (and joy) of navigating the surrogacy journey. I find great joy and accomplishment working at SurrogateFirst with truly caring and dedicated professionals. At SurrogateFirst I lead our marketing efforts and business operations to ensure an excellent experience for all that come across our services – either potential surrogates, intended parents or professional partners. I have over 20 years in the service industry building and managing teams with great shared culture and values.
Ashley Mareko
Surrogate Program Director
Aloha, I’m Ashley Mareko, the Surrogate Program Director here at Surrogate First. I have the honor of helping our clients through the clearance process and finding the right match for Intended Parents and Surrogates. I am a three-time surrogate who has traveled halfway across the world to visit my surrogate families I helped. I never imagined working in this field but cannot picture myself anywhere else. I was one of the first surrogates to sign with SurrogateFirst and the first official employee aside from our amazing founders.
Kelly Gaspar
Surrogate Intake Specialist
Maxime Lebouteiller
Intake Intended Parent Coordinator
Maxime is the Intended Parent Coordinator for SurrogateFirst for all its European clients. Maxime is originally from Paris, France completing high school in the US before acquiring his business degree in France. Before SurrogateFirst, he worked for 4 years in the field of surrogacy helping couples through surrogacy. As the Intended Parent Intake Coordinator, he enjoys helping people around the world make their dream of becoming parents come true.
Karina Hofacker
Surrogate Intake Coordinator
Elizabeth Casey
Case Manager
Hello! I’m Elizabeth Casey, four-time Surrogate and Case Manager for the Surrogacy and Egg Donor Programs at SurrogteFirst and EggDonorFirst. I reside in Texas with my husband, two children, & our German Shepherd. (And it’s true, we Texans LOVE football – GO COWBOYS!)
Stephanie Gutierrez
Case Manager
My name is Stephanie Gutierrez. I’m a bilingual Case Manager here at SurrogateFirst. I have the pleasure of working side by side with our Intended Parents and Surrogates through their journeys once they have officially matched. I am a two-time surrogate and have loved every part of the process! In addition to my role, I run the Spanish sector of SurrogateFirst.
Fresh off the press
Recently Featured in
Part of our mission is to share our learning on a broader scale and discussing the latest findings on the state of Surrogacy with others.
For media & press enquiries, please contact Jeff.
Director Ashley Mareko Featured on FOX 26 Houston’s Lunch for the Soul
Originally posted on Fox 26 Houston on January 14, 2024. We’re thrilled to share the
Leanna Ortega’s Story Featured on KTVU
Originally posted on KTVU on December 27, 2024. We’re thrilled to share that one of
Heather Carlson’s Heartwarming Surrogacy Journey Featured on WPMI
Originally aired on WPMI on Dec 19, 2024. We are so proud to share that
Yessenia Latorre featured on Truly
Originally aired on truly on Nov 18, 2024. Our surrogate Yessenia recently appeared on Truly
