Brandon J. Bankowski, M.D.

Dr. Bankowski is one of the most-respected and experienced physicians helping LGBTQ intended parents build their families through donor egg surrogacy in the USA. He is a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist with extensive experience in IVF, egg donation, surrogacy and genomics. He has practiced at Oregon Reproductive Medicine (ORM) since 2005. He and his partners at ORM have helped LGBTQ intended parents from across the world build their families. Dr. Bankowski is passionate about providing ORM’s patients the best care and the highest chance for success on their first attempt, while looking after the genetic health of their family. His vision lead to the formation of ORM Genomics, ORM’s industry-leading reproductive genomics program and in-house genetics laboratory, as well as the integration of advanced genetic screening of all donors in the ORM Donors program. He is committed to helping LGBTQ intended parents using donor egg surrogacy benefit from the latest advances in genetic screening to help them have the best chance of a healthy baby on their first attempt.

Anthony M. Brown, Esq., MHB board chairman

Anthony currently is a senior associate at the law firm of Chianese and Reilly Law,P.C., heading their family and estates law division serving married and unmarried individuals, couples and families. Anthony is the Executive Director of The Wedding Party and has been a Board member since its inception in 1999. Anthony is the founder of TimeForFamilies.com, a web environment dedicated to assisting gay and lesbian couples create their own families. Anthony has worked as a law guardian at The Children’s Law Center, representing the legal needs of children in Brooklyn Family Court. Anthony also worked as a legal intern for Lambda Legal in the summer of 2002. Anthony was appointed as a board member and Secretary of the board of Men Having Babies upon its incorporation in July 2012 and has served as Board Chairman since 2013.

Henny Bos, PhD

Henny Bos is Associate Professor, Faculty of Social and Behavioral Sciences Graduate School of Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, College of Child Development and Education, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Dr. Bos has been conducting a longitudinal study of Dutch lesbian families, is co-investigator of the US National Lesbian Longitudinal Family Study (NLLFS; P. I. Dr. Nanette Gartrell) and the Dutch P.I of an European study on gay fathers who became parent through surrogacy (P. I. European project: Prof. Dr. Michael Lamb).

Laurence Brunet, PhD

Laurence, a French specialist in family law and bioethics, is a research associate at the research center "Droit, sciences et techniques” (Law, science and technology) of the University of Paris. She is also a project manager at the Center for Clinical Ethics of Cochin hospital. Laurence served as the coordinator of the legal study on surrogacy commissioned by the European Parliament, and authored the report titled “A Comparative Study on the Regime of Surrogacy in EU Member States, Directorate General for Internal Policies, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs,” published on May 2013. In 2014 Laurence took part at the working group chaired by Irène Théry that presented a report to the French Minister for the Family titled “Offspring, Origins and Parenting” (“Filiation, origines et parentalité”).

Sanne Buursink-de Graaf

Mrs Sanne Buursink-de Graaf is one of the founders of A New Way, a Dutch adoption organization set up by experienced adoptive parents that have adopted from the USA. The USA is one of the only countries that allows same sex couples to adopt. Sanne and her husband adopted two children from Tampa Florida USA. She has a degree in social studies and she prior worked as a (business) consultant, was responsible for the department of Economical Development and international affairs at the Chamber of Commerce in The Netherlands and owned her own business during the time she and her husband became an adoptive family. One of her motivations to found ANW was that she firmly believes that same sex couples should have the opportunity to provide forever families for children in need. In het spare time she has always been actively involved in charity work.

Said T. Daneshmand, MD, FACOG

Dr. Said Daneshmand is an internationally recognized fertility specialist with extensive experience in providing third-party reproductive services. Dr. Daneshmand serves on the board of several surrogacy advocacy groups. He has collaborated to develop in vitro fertilization (IVF) protocols to improve pregnancy rates, including PTEC (post-thaw extended culture), which is one of the most successful IVF regimens currently available. These groundbreaking findings were published in the internationally respected medical journal, Fertility and Sterility, where Dr. Daneshmand also served as a reviewer. Dr. Daneshmand completed his fellowship and residency at UCLA. He is specialty board certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and sub specialty board certified in Reproductive Endocrinology.
Among his achievements, Dr. Daneshmand is the recipient of numerous awards including the Eileen Pike Medical School Valedictorian Award and the PCRS Fellowship and Practicing Physician Research Award. He has served as the President of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (Iota Chapter) and is a member of the Decherney Society, the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE). Dr. Daneshmand speaks French, Spanish and Farsi.

Wilma Eusman

Wilma studied at the Free University in Amsterdam and graduated in Civil Law and in International Law in 1980. She became a Clerk at the District Court in Amsterdam in the Family Division and in the Division of the Court’s President. She was sworn in as a lawyer in 1987 and is partner at Advocatenkantoor De Binnenstad in Amsterdam since then. Her areas of expertise were immigration and asylum law as well as family law. In the last decade she became specialized in legal aspects concerning children born in non-traditional families, i.e. children of lesbian and gay couples and children born via ART. She also speaks at conferences and meetings regarding this topic. In 2014 she was nominated as a member of the Government Advisory Commission to Reconsider Legal Parenthood. The mandate of this Commission is to advice the Dutch Government on new regulations regarding multiple parenthood and custody and surrogacy. In May 2015 she will be one of the speakers on the ABA Spring Conference.

Victoria T. Ferrara, Esq.

Victoria Ferrara is the Founder and Legal Director of Worldwide Surrogacy Specialists, LLC, a successful surrogacy matching agency, through which she has helped many couples and individuals have children. One of her achievements is the landmark decision of Raftopol v. Ramey, 12 A.3d 783 299 Conn. 681 (2011), a Connecticut Supreme Court case that essentially created a new way to establish legal parentage in Connecticut, i.e., by being a party (Intended Parent) to a valid gestational agreement regardless of genetic connection to the child to be born to the gestational surrogate. Attorney Ferrara appears frequently in courts throughout the State of Connecticut for all matters in involving assisted reproduction law, pre-birth orders, and adoptions, including co-parent and step-parent adoption matters. She is a member of the Academy of Assisted Reproductive Law Attorneys, the Family Law Institute, the National Gay and Lesbian Bar Association, the Connecticut Bar Association, and the Greater Bridgeport Bar Association.

Delphine Lance

Delphine Lance is a PhD candidate in anthropology at the School of Advanced Social Science Studies in Paris. She is working on a comparative analysis of the surrogacy process in the Ukraine, France, and the United States. At the same time, Delphine teaches gender studies and Health at the University of Paris XIII. Delphine also produced an ethnographic documentary on surrogates' experiences titled, "Paroles de femmes porteuses” ("talking with surrogates”). Her analysis includes the role of women and their bodies in the process of surrogacy, their motivations, and their sense of commitment. Delphine met the subjects of this documentary in the course of her academic research. Recording their testimonies seemed to her as an authentic and fair way to share their story with a wider audience beyond the clichés that typically surround this topic.

Mark P. Leondires, M.D

Dr. Leondires, founder and Medical Director at Reproductive Medicine Associates of Connecticut and Gay Parents To Be, is board-certified in both Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN) and Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility (REI). Dr. Leondires received his medical degree from the University Of Vermont, and completed his residency in OBGYN at Maine Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in REI at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. He fulfilled his military obligation by serving as the ART Director at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. His professional society memberships include the Society of Reproductive Endocrinologists, the American College of OBGYN, and the American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Dr. Leondires has been selected a Best Doctor in America, and a Top Doc by Castle Connolly. His research interests include IVF, Preimplantation Genetic Screening (PGS), and elective single embryo transfer. Dr. Leondires is a speaker at many medical & advocacy conferences. Dr. Leondires and his husband have two children through egg donation and surrogacy. He is proud to help others achieve their family building dreams, and feels strongly that if one desires to have a family, all hurdles are surmountable.

Rachelle Nelson, MHB Surrogates Advisory Committee member

Rachelle and her husband have one son who is 7 years old. Rachelle is a surrogate mother who has completed two journeys for two different gay couples from Italy. She delivered a singleton boy in April 2013 and twin boys in March 2015. She loves sharing about her relationship with the intended parents, minimizing the use of injectable medications, the support she received from her husband, friendships lost and gained, and really anything surrogacy related. In early 2016 Rachelle gave several media interviews to Italian media during their political debate on civil unions and gay parenting and has served as an advocate and public speaker on matters including surrogacy, gay marriage and gay parenting.

Molly O’Brien, Esq.

Molly O’Brien has worked in the field of Assisted Reproduction since 2005. In that time, she worked for an Egg Donation Agency and a Surrogacy Agency where she became familiar with all aspects of In-Vitro Fertilization and Egg Donation, including the financial aspects of surrogacy. Since becoming an attorney in 2011, she has gained extensive experience in drafting and negotiating Surrogacy Contracts, Egg Donation and Sperm Donation Contracts, and Embryo Donation Contracts on behalf of her clients throughout the world. Ms. O’Brien has also appeared before many local Judges to help both domestic and international couples finalize their parental rights, and has extensive experience in obtaining all documents necessary for her couples to return to their home country. As a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), she serves on the Executive Board of the Legal Professional Group section of ASRM as the Secretary. Additionally, Ms. O’Brien is a member of the ABA A.R.T. committee and SEEDS.

Mandy Pecher, LL.M., MBA

Mandy Pecher is a licensed German attorney in all 16 German states and a licensed US attorney. Ms. Pecher specializes in several areas involving multi-jurisdictional issues of international family, immigration and citizenship law. Her areas of special expertise are German family law, including German custody law, German child support law, German adoption law and German immigration and citizenship law. Mandy Pecher holds a J.D. from Johannes Gutenberg University, in Mainz, Germany, a Master of Law (LL.M.) in Corporate and Finance Law from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Richard Devos School of Management in Midland, Michigan. She is fluent in English and German and is a dual US/German citizen. She is an active member of the German Bar Association, the Deutschen Anwaltsverein (DAV), the Anwaltsverein Sachsen, American Immigration Lawyers Association, the Michigan Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Ron Poole-Dayan, MHB board member / executive director

Ron is the executive director and founding board member of Men Having Babies. He has over 20 years of experience in marketing and business strategy development both in the USA and internationally. Ron earned his Masters degree in political economy and comparative politics from Columbia University, and his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Ron is married to Greg Poole-Dayan, the Administrator of the Jewish Home Lifecare Nursing Home in the Bronx. The couple met in 1994, and are among of the first same-sex couples in the nation to father children through gestational surrogacy. The twins, born in 2001, were conceived with the use of eggs donated by Greg's sister, and carried by a gestational carrier. Ron has been the MHB program coordinator since 2005, and was appointed as the Executive Director of Men Having Babies upon its in corporation in July 2012.

Melissa Rahe, MHB Surrogates Advisory Committee member

Melissa and her husband Bill have six children including some which were adopted. She has been a gestational carrier three times and has completed a sibling journey for a same sex couple from Belgium. Melissa has served as an advocate, trainer and public speaker on a variety of subject matters including surrogacy, adoption and the foster care system.

Clélia Richard

Clélia was sworn in as a lawyer in Paris in January 2004. She created her own legal office in October 2006, working mainly in family law. She has been involved in the fight for gay and lesbian parenting since 2008. With Serge Portelli, a magistrate in Paris, she co-authored the book "Families’ Wishes" ("Désirs de familles") on gay and lesbian parenting, published in April 2012. The legislators are invited there not only to open marriage to non-heterosexual people, but also to think differently and in a global manner about filiation law. Working with many professional couples who are eager to start a family with the help of a gestational carrier, Clélia has developed expertise is numerous legal and social problems posed by the current French legislation, and she has been advocating an intellectually radical change in the way surrogacy is considered.

Steven H. Snyder, Esq.

Steven Snyder is the founding and principal partner of Steven H. Snyder & Associates, Attorneys At Law and the International Assisted Reproduction Center (IARC) in Minnesota. Mr. Snyder attended law school at the University of Minnesota, graduating cum laude in 1982. Mr. Snyder successfully litigated the first and only contested Minnesota surrogacy case to date in 2006 in which he won sole custody of the child for a single gay father. He is a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), Immediate Past Chair of the Reproductive & Genetic Technology Committee of the Family Law Section of the ABA, Past Chair of the Minnesota State Bar Association Family Law Section, and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. Mr. Snyder also serves on the national legal advisory committee of RESOLVE: The National Fertility Association, is past chair of the legal advisory group for the American Fertility Association (for education, support, and advocacy on behalf of infertile persons), and is a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (national organization of fertility physicians) and its legal professionals group.

Georges Sylvestre, M.D., MHB board member

Georges Sylvestre is an Obstetrician/Gynecologist specialized in High-Risk Pregnancies, currently Chairman of OBGYN at Flushing Hospital Medical Center in Queens. Georges and his husband David Margolis live in Manhattan, and are the proud fathers of Tristan and Noah, born in 2010 and 2013 via gestational surrogacy. Having grown up in France, Canada and Switzerland, the Sylvestre-Margolis boys speak French and English at home, and has traveled extensively across the world, making a point of meeting other LGBT gay couples raising children. Georges' profession and personal experience give him a unique advantage in understanding the medical, psychological, ethical and financial challenges of the IP/couple –egg donor – Gestational surrogate triad.

Prof. Dr. Frederik Swennen

Frederik Swennen is professor of family law & kinship studies at the University of Antwerp and was visiting professor at the Fondation pour le Droit Continental (France, Paris 2 Panthéon-Assas) and the University of Utrecht (Netherlands).
He is an of counsel attorney -at-law at Greenille by Laga, the private client department of Laga, serving high-net-worth individuals and families (www.greenille.eu). His fields of interest are national and international family law, including family proceedings and private international law, in which he has an outstanding track record. He is the author of more than 200 publications in his fields of expertise and promoter of various research projects. He contributes to various international networks, such as the Leverhulme Research Network on New Families, New Governance and the International Society of Family Law. Frederik Swennen is a member of the transdisciplinary LGBT Forum at the University of Antwerp. Both in research and in practice, his fields of expertise comprise gay marriage and partnerships.

Melvin Thornton II, MD

Dr. Melvin Thornton II is the Acting Medical Director & Director, Donor Egg Program at CT Fertility. Dr. Thornton has deep expertise in the areas of IVF, surrogacy and donor egg, fertility preservation and male infertility. He recognizes the stressful nature of infertility treatment and brings a compassionate touch to every interaction. Known for his calm demeanor, his patients frequently describe him as a reassuring and personable physician who truly cares. Prior to joining CT Fertility, he spent 15 years with the Columbia University IVF program where he held many leadership posts, including Medical Director of its Westchester campus and Director of the donor egg program. In addition to his practical medical experience, he has devoted countless hours to sharing his passion for RE by teaching and mentoring medical students, fellows, and residents as an Associate Clinical Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Columbia. Dr. Thornton has published more than 30 papers, written several book chapters and presented nearly 40 abstracts at professional conferences.

Cindy R. Wasser, LLB

With her unique background as a high profile criminal defence lawyer for almost 30 years and, extraordinary journey as an Intended Parent, Cindy Wasser offers an unparalleled service to Intended Parents, Surrogates and Donors. Her firm, Hope Springs Fertility Law™ is one of the leading firms in Canada with a large international clientele. When the RCMP investigation into ART began in February 2012, Cindy was called upon to provide legal advice to other fertility lawyers, medical practitioners and, consultant agencies. Cindy has lectured about fertility law at medico-legal conferences and at hospitals and is published in a leading medical journal. During her criminal law career she successfully defended high profile cases; published and lectured. Cindy was a founding Director of the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted; the Chair of the Criminal Justice Section of the Ontario Bar Association and; a member of many Law Society Committees. Cindy and her husband are parents to two perfectly created daughters with the generous assistance of an ovum donor and two Surrogates.

Stephanie Scott

Stephanie Scott is the Co-Owner/Executive Program Director for Simple Surrogacy and Simple Donations in Dallas, TX. Her passion in life is helping childless couples and individuals realize their dreams of becoming parents. With over 14 years of experience in the surrogacy and egg donation community, having been a surrogate twice before and managing one of the most supportive, well-respected and cost-consciousness agencies in the United States, Stephanie has well rounded knowledge of every aspect of the surrogacy and egg donation process. She holds her team and the colleagues she works with to a higher standard, she expects everyone to go the extra mile so that clients who come through the program are not only successful, but have had a good experience. As the Program Director, Stephanie manages the day to day operations at Simple Surrogacy and Simple Donations. Her duties include, but are not limited to, new client consultations, profile review and editing, educating her clients about the process, creating a realistic budget for her clients and ensuring her team is properly supportive all parties throughout their journey.

John Chally, J.D.

John Chally, J.D. is one of the Directors and Founders of Northwest Surrogacy Center, LLC. He has 20 years of experience as a surrogacy attorney, with a focus on securing the legal relationships between intended parents and their children. He also has nearly 40 years of experience practicing in the areas of adoption and adoption litigation. He has a Martindale-Hubbell rating of AV Preeminent, indicating the highest level of professional excellence and ethical standards, and is ranked as a Super Lawyer. He is a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys.
One of the early promoters of open adoption, John is a former member of the State of Oregon Task Force on Adoption Services and the Oregon Law Foundation Adoption Committee. In 1985 he co-founded Open Adoption & Family Services, Inc., one of the largest adoption agencies in the Pacific Northwest. He has published numerous articles and book chapters on adoption and frequently speaks at adoption seminars.

Leia Swanberg

Leia’s passion for alternative family building began at age sixteen, when she was a birth mother to a daughter placed in an open adoption. Since then, she has had three children of her own – ages 19,11, and a new baby. She has been a gestational surrogate twice and an egg donor several times. Leia’s approach to surrogacy is simple – taking a holistic approach to ensure that all parties are supported, encouraged and protected. She has made great industry connections and working partnerships with professionals worldwide to ensure that she can help to develop the fertility plan that best suits your needs. Having owned Canadian Fertility Consulting since 2007, she has had the opportunity to help hundreds of couples become parents. Leia’s previous experience as a small business owner and background in management and small business development has helped her grow CFC into Canada’s foremost surrogacy consulting service. Leia and CFC have been featured many times in Canadian media, including Canada AM and The National Post, helping to depict third-party reproduction as a tangible and approachable subject in the country.

Stephannie Stephens

Stephannie’s primary position with Surro Connections is to assist with recruiting and screening our gestational surrogates. Through various interviews and screening processes she is able to ensure each candidate meets all of our requirements and is ready to begin her journey. Stephannie continues to support many of these carriers throughout their journey with our agency and enjoys being able to offer them the one on one support they deserve. She also manages all of our social networking, conference attendance and other marketing to ensure Surro Connections is out in the community and available to educate, support and celebrate the beauty behind gestational surrogacy. Stephannie is married to a wonderful man named Troy and together they have 5 kids- 3 of which are in college and 1 recently married. Her extensive background in supporting the whole family through their early childhood education experience adds to her passion for her current position here in our agency. She is currently working towards her degree in Human Services and Social Work.

Alex MacNab, LLB

Alex MacNab has extensive training and experience in interest-based negotiation, mediation and arbitration. He offers creative solutions for clients in a way that best fits their needs whether that be through lawyer-assisted negotiation, mediation or arbitration, with litigation as the method of last resort. He also specializes in reproductive law and is well-known for helping families with third party assisted reproductive techniques including donor egg, donor sperm, traditional and gestational surrogacy, as well as adoption. Alex’s legal career began in 2004 in Newfoundland and Labrador where he practiced with the Legal Aid Commission in Labrador. Alex gained experience in the areas of criminal defense and family law, appearing regularly in both the Provincial and Supreme Courts. Alex’s educational background includes a Law Degree from Dalhousie University Law School, and a BA from Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.