Meet The Team

Diane is the owner and founder of Creative Family Connections. She founded Creative Family Connections on the principle that “everyone can build a family.” Diane grew up in a family of six children, so family has always been an important beacon for Diane. She began her family as a single mother, so she has always championed the non-traditional, e.g., single and LBGTQ+ parents.

A cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and a member of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland Bars, Diane’s diverse background and hands-on management approach allows her to offer guidance and support to Intended Parents and Gestational Carriers from both a legal and personal perspective.

Leigh oversees CFC’s daily operations. You will likely meet her during your earliest contact with CFC. She takes calls from Prospective Clients to give them an overview of our services, and arranges Prospective Client Meetings. Leigh is an integral part of the on-boarding process for new clients at CFC, and works behind the scenes on a daily basis to keep all of the various facets of our operations running smoothly.

Jen is the Chief Operating Officer at Creative Family Connections, and has dedicated nearly her entire career to Assisted Reproductive Technology. Joining CFC in 2010, Jen brings over a decade of experience and care to clients eager to build or expand their family through Assisted Reproduction. She has extensive experience in a variety of Assisted Reproductive Technology matters, including gestational surrogacy agreements, anonymous or known sperm agreements, egg donation agreements, embryo donation agreements, parentage matters, and second parent adoptions. She also brings a unique and positive perspective as a former egg donor and former surrogacy journey coordinator, recognizing the complexity and intimate nature of a surrogacy journey.

Jen is a fellow with the Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys and co-chairs the Standards Committee with the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation & Surrogacy. She is also a member of the American Bar Association, Committee on Adoption and Assisted Reproductive Technology.

Jen is admitted to practice in both Maryland and Washington, D.C. She graduated from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School in 2009 and received her BA from the University of Maryland in 2006.
Jen spends her spare time with her husband, John, in Arlington, Virginia, and loves being a mom to two sweet and very active little boys (Jack & Max), and being a dog mom to a crazy beagle (Luca) and dachshund (Lucy).

Ciara joined CFC as an Associate Attorney in 2021 after completing a legal fellowship with the Legal Services Corporation. Her prior legal work centered the voices of women and gender diverse persons with disabilities, ensuring their rights to exercise complete reproductive autonomy. She continues this work today as a volunteer Disability Rights Advocate for the Women’s Major Group, a participant in United Nations efforts to achieve sustainable development. Ciara received her J.D. and M.A. in International Service from American University and her B.A. in Sociology from Connecticut College.

At CFC, Ciara supports our legal portfolio by drafting and negotiating contracts, assisting with court filings and petitions, and conducting ongoing legal research. Ciara resides in Washington, D.C. with her partner and their dog. She is an active member of the local LGBTQ+ community and enjoys gardening, yoga, and learning new languages (currently: International Sign).

Samantha joined Creative Family Connections as a paralegal in July of 2022 assisting our attorneys in drafting surrogacy contracts and parentage documents. She began her journey with CFC as a surrogate herself and is passionate about helping others achieve their dream of parenthood. Samantha received her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She resides in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband and two children. She appreciates art and music and believes strongly in social justice. In her spare time, she enjoys outdoor activities, road trips, and creating fun memories with her kids.

As a Lead Journey Coordinator for Creative Family Connections, Cameron provides loving and humorous support for intended parents and gestational carriers through all stages of their journey towards parenthood.

Cameron joined CFC after working with school aged children and their families for her local health department. She has always had a passion for helping others, but this is where Cameron truly developed her deep love and appreciation for all families. Cameron has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Communications from Virginia Tech.

Cameron resides in Virginia with her husband, two boys, and their many animals. Her family loves to spend time outdoors and plays numerous sports, including hockey, lacrosse, and soccer.

Carrie comes to CFC with 20 years of experience in education. Though passionate about teaching, Carrie knew after being a two-time gestational carrier with CFC that she wanted to be a member of the CFC team and continue being an integral part of helping people build their families through surrogacy.

As a journey coordinator, Carrie plays a key role in providing guidance and support to intended parents and gestational carriers throughout their surrogacy journey. Surrogacy was a life-changing experience for Carrie. She and the families from both of her journeys maintain a close relationship to this day.

Native to California, Carrie and her husband have made Oregon their home with their son, daughter, and two dogs. They all enjoy exploring the beauty of their home state. Carrie also enjoys reading, running, baking, and watching her children play sports.

Kathleen provides support to intended parents and gestational carriers throughout their journeys. She brings her passion for surrogacy and how it truly helps build families by having a personal experience as a two-time surrogate and her previous work in the surrogacy field as an intake coordinator and journey coordinator.

Kathleen graduated with honors and summa cum laude for her Bachelor of Arts in Digital Photography and Communications degree in June of 2021. She has used her experience as a surrogate and her photography skills to documenting births, families, and donates her time to provide remembrance portraits to parents that have suffered loss. She has been able to use these skills and experiences to provide guidance and a deep understanding of what it is like for intended parents and surrogates during their journey.

Kathleen is originally from Idaho, but moved to the beautiful Southern California area with her two boys, her husband, and their dog. Aside from taking photographs whenever she can, Kathleen spends plenty of her time at the baseball field watching her youngest son play and family bike rides to the beach. She loves gardening, cooking, and finding ways to use her creativity.

Rani joined CFC as a Journey Coordinator & Associate Attorney in January of 2023. As a journey coordinator, Rani provides guidance and support to Intended Parents and Gestational Carriers every step of the way.

Rani’s passion for Assisted Reproduction began 12 years ago when she began helping Intended Parents of all types build families. Rani’s diverse background ranges from drafting and negotiating legal contracts for Intended Parents, surrogates, and egg donors as an associate attorney at a law firm and in her own private practice, to clinical experience helping Intended Parents choose and match with egg donors as an Egg Donor Matching Director. Prior to starting at CFC, Rani was coordinating all aspects of IVF and frozen embryo transfer cycles with Intended Parents, surrogates, and egg donors at a fertility clinic.

Rani received her J.D. from Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and her B.A. in Journalism and Psychology from Rutgers University. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar.

Rani resides in Connecticut with her husband Greg, and they enjoy spending time with their daughter (Sophia) and two sons (Matthew and Alex). She enjoys reading, long walks with Cody (10-year-old cockapoo), road trips, and Wordle.

Juli’s passion for pregnancy, childbirth, and motherhood began as a child. From a young age, she knew she would only be complete upon having children. She imagined adoption, pregnancy, and maybe someday becoming a surrogate to help others realize their similar dreams. The journey to motherhood didn’t go as smoothly as expected – Juli navigated over 10 years of fertility challenges and loss. By the time she completed her family at age 40, and considering the complications she experienced, she had to accept that being a surrogate likely wasn’t an option for her. As a Journey Coordinator, Juli is honored to play a part in making dreams come true through surrogacy!

Juli is passionate about supporting growing families. Prior to a 16-year career in education, Juli was in a midwifery program where she deepened her knowledge of fertility/infertility, pregnancy and childbirth. After the pandemic in 2020, she made the decision to return to maternal health and wellness and became a certified birth and postpartum doula, birth assistant, and childbirth educator. Juli has the unique experience of assisting pregnant women in different capacities from conception through postpartum, as well as preparing parents to integrate a new life into their family. She understands first-hand the strong desire to become a parent while facing the various challenges that can happen unexpectedly in creating a family.

Juli and her wife live in Orlando, FL with their two children (ages 15 and 6) and two little dogs. They love animals, hiking, swimming, and traveling.

As a two-mom family, Juli firmly believes that everyone can build a family.

Morgen joined CFC as a Journey Coordinator in 2023. As a journey coordinator, Morgen provides guidance and support to Intended Parents and Gestational Carriers every step of the way. Morgen wanted to help build families and was a surrogate herself in 2016. The journey was better than imagined, and Morgen’s family ‘adopted’ her surrogate family as their own.   

Morgen graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Applied Behavioral Science. She resides in Illinois with her two children and a slew of animals. She enjoys baking with her daughter, coaching soccer for her son, and watching her kids try new things. Morgen also loves to read and travel.

Nica first joined CFC as our Client Coordinator in March of 2019. Her passion for the fertility industry began in 2015 when she became an egg donor for an international gay couple for the first time. She was working in banking at the time, but knew that the fertility field was where she needed to be, having found a true passion in assisting others in achieving the dream of parenthood.

As CFC’s Client Coordinator, she is the main point of contact for intended parents as they onboard for their journey.

Nica obtained her Bachelor of Science in Finance from Central Connecticut State University and is currently working toward completion of her MBA at Central as well. Nica resides in Connecticut with her husband and two sons. She enjoys reading, baking, and gardening.

Robin Hinson first came to work for CFC in 2015 to conduct research for The US Surrogacy Law Map ™. After working as a journey coordinator for 3 years, guiding intended parents and surrogates through their surrogacy journeys, Robin joined the surrogate recruiting team in February of 2019. In addition to her role on the recruiting team, she coordinates communications for media, as well as CFC surrogates and intended parents. She is passionate about guiding new surrogates on their journeys, as well as sharing the experiences of surrogates and intended parents through social media management.

Adopted by Diane Hinson, who was a single parent at the time, Robin understands the importance of accepting and welcoming families and people of all kinds. Just as CFC supports many families from the LGBTQ community, so too does Robin strongly believe in equality and representation for the queer community on a professional and personal level. Robin lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado and enjoys yoga, hiking, and studying the world of wine.