The Genesis Group

Lisa Chiya is the founder and President of The Genesis Group. She oversees the egg donor, surrogacy, frozen egg bank and the specialized, "hard to find" egg donor search program. Lisa brings over 17 years of 3rd party reproductive management to the Genesis Group. She has a deep passion for family building and feels honored to be in a position to help so many intended parents find their way into parenthood. Lisa is a proud parent to 3 beautiful children via IVF and surrogacy. Lisa is also an active member in the community. She is founding member and board member of the Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy (SEEDS). A board member of Ambition, which is a non-profit school-based entrepreneurial program for disadvantaged youths. She is also a member of Gen Next; an organization that believes by confronting issues pertaining to economic opportunity, education, and international security, will ensure future generation's prosperity.

Nikki Wehmeir is a Texas transplant living in California. She has dedicated over 10 years of her life to assisting and supporting Intended Parents during what can often be one of the most difficult times of their lives. She thinks it’s incredible to watch a team of “strangers” come together for the singular goal of helping someone become a parent. She has two kids of her own (one in elementary school and one in college) and can recollect the very second, she saw their faces for the first time. Helping others experience that feeling is probably at the top of her list of reasons why she loves her career. Both of her nephews are here thanks to IVF and she has many friends who have used IVF, donor eggs, and/or surrogacy to have their children. Her experience in this field has given her the opportunity to be there not only for our Intended Parents but for those in her personal life who are on a journey that can often feel lonely. Nikki is one of the original members of the SEEDS Conference Committee (The Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy) since 2012. In 2019, she was selected for a uterus transplant trial to donate her uterus to a woman born without one. For her, it was just another way to share the opportunity with someone to hopefully experience seeing their child’s face for the very first time. When she is not working, you can usually either find her at a field somewhere watching her son play a variety of sports, hanging out with one of her four dogs, or enjoying an evening of catching up on her favorite shows.

La Vonna Kim Wyatt is the Surrogacy Program Director and has been inspiring her team for 7 years. If you had told La Vonna that one day she would be working in this field, she would not have believed you. Working in architecture for 8 years, she had zero clue what this industry or surrogacy even entailed. She jokes that she went from building buildings to building families. Though it was an unexpected turn, there has been nothing that has felt more right or destined. Fueled by her own yearning to become a parent and the deep empathy it gives her, there is nothing that drives her more than seeing the tears of joy and disbelief when our intended parents, who once came to us in grief, hold their newborn for the first time. To be any part of that miracle is an honor and privilege she does not take for granted. Beyond loving her career, she is also deeply in love with her husband and fur baby, with whom she enjoys doing anything outdoors with. In her free time, she enjoys surfing, archery, hiking, and snowboarding.

Erica Mora is the Senior Surrogate Case Manager at The Genesis Group. She believes that she did not find this industry, but this industry found her. Erica was born to help people. She assists both Surrogates and Intended Parents through every aspect of the journey. She is extremely caring and supportive, which fits in perfectly with her position as a Senior Case Manager. Her passion for the work she does is contagious. Her calm demeanor and optimistic personality make her an incredible asset to the team. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling, hiking, reading, photography, sports (Go Lakers!), and dinner parties. She is an amateur botanist, taco enthusiast, photographer, innovative chef and part-time dog mom. She enjoys spending quality time with her family, friends, and of course her fur baby Charlie.

Jennifer Dominguez is the Surrogate Recruitment Manager. She has been in the Surrogacy field since 2007. She first discovered surrogacy the year after her daughter was born. She never struggled with infertility but has close family members that have. Since then, Jennifer has completed five successful surrogacy journeys with her first surrogate baby born in 2008 and her last delivery in 2015. Including her own pregnancy, she has been pregnant 6 times and delivered 7 healthy babies. With her witty humor, compassion, and understanding of what surrogacy is, Jennifer has assisted hundreds of other women become Surrogates. While her heart for surrogacy beats strong, she has recently added another way to help other Surrogates. In 2017, she became a Surrogate-Doula. Helping Surrogates during their delivery and witnessing the true creation of a family is something that truly fuels her. Jennifer feels blessed and feels the possibilities are endless with her husband of 16 years and her supportive daughter in her corner cheering her on.

Summer is the International Surrogate Case Manager. Summer works primarily with Intended Parents from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan to find a Surrogate and sometimes also an Egg Donor. She manages every aspect of the surrogacy journey. Summer’s superpower is her patience and empathy. Summer believes there is nothing more meaningful and exciting than helping Intended Parents and Surrogates create life! Her deep passion is what drives her every day to assist more families in achieving their dreams of having a child. She is originally from Shanghai, China. When she was a child, her dream career was to become someone that helps others like a teacher or doctor. Prior to working at the Genesis Group, Summer fulfilled her dream and was a teacher in China for 5 years. After moving to the United States, Summer feels like she finally found what she is passionate about. Summer believes there is nothing more meaningful and exciting than helping Intended Parents and Surrogates create life! Her deep passion is what drives her every day to assist more families in achieving their dreams of having a child. The longer she is in the industry, the more she understands and realizes the heartache and hurdles that some Intended Parents go through. This drives her to be more determined and dedicated to her craft so that she can be a source of strength and guidance for her clients. She truly believes that with everyone’s efforts, dedication, and love, our intended parents will see their dream come to fruition. She has a daughter, and the joy and happiness she gets from her is something that she yearns for ALL of our clients to have.

Ting Yang is the International Surrogate Coordinator. Ting works with Intended Parents that speak Mandarin and works closely with their Surrogates. She assists all parties during the surrogacy process. She first learned about surrogacy by talking to friends in China. She never realized that for many people, having children did not come as easy as they had hoped. They were looking for options and limited due to surrogacy being illegal in China. She wanted to work with The Genesis Group, because she saw it as an opportunity to help her friends and others who were suffering. She wanted to make people’s dreams a reality. She is now extremely proud of her career path. It brings her life such meaning, as well as hope, every time she sees a newborn and knows that she played a part in each little joyous miracle. Besides her love for babies, she loves archery, bowling, and playing pool. I guess you could say she likes anything that means making her target. There is only one thing she loves more than perfecting her skills, and it’s truly her job!

After over 15 years as a Senior Manager in the restaurant industry, Wendy realized she needed a change and something that would fulfill her on a deeper level. She has been with Genesis for a little over two years and feels immense joy to be a small part of this special moment in people’s lives. Hearing the stories of Intended Parents and their deep desire to start or expand their family inspires her to do whatever she can to assist them. The moment she received her first baby pictures, was the moment she knew she found her calling. Wendy was born and raised in Los Angeles and currently enjoys life with her three cats; Zoey, Riley, and Bella. She has been an animal lover and vegetarian since a very young age. Although she has traveled the world, LA is the only place she has ever lived and called home.

Tomoko is the Japanese Egg Donor Coordinator. Tomoko helps Japanese donors through the application process and assist Japanese Intended Parents find their donor. Tomoko was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan and moved to Los Angeles in 2005. Tomoko is a certified Cosmetologist and has over 15 years of experience in the beauty industry. Despite her background and passion for beauty, she joined Genesis Group to share her passion of being a mother; and share the opportunity of creating a beautiful family.

Heidi Morales is the Administrative Assistance for the Surrogacy Team. She assists the surrogacy team with any aspect of the surrogacy process. Heidi is a 2-time previous Surrogate with the Genesis Group. After experiencing firsthand how rewarding and fulfilling the process was as a surrogate, she wanted to find a way to help even more families. When an opportunity came her way to work with the Genesis Group and bring new parents and surrogates together, she felt in her heart it would be a perfect fit. She feels blessed to be able to still be a part of the surrogacy world on the agency side. In her spare time, she loves spending time with her husband and four kids.

After attending the University of California, Irvine for his undergraduate degree, Page worked in the hospitality industry for some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the world. During this time, Page received invaluable experience in management and business finance. Page is now a serial entrepreneur and along with his wife owns five different companies. As a father of three amazing boys via IVF and surrogacy, he is passionate about helping Intended Parents realize their dreams of creating or expanding their families. Page believes in providing unparalleled service and attention to clients. He is known for his endearing Pageisms, such as his unwavering belief that in business and in life people and companies earn their stripes by how they handle adversity. He says that during unchallenging times any business can seem like they provide great service or attention to detail. But not all businesses behave the same way during times of adversity. Exceptional businesses are those that can handle adversity well, meaning that they always have their client’s interest at heart and will do everything in their power to ensure that their clients are treated fairly and compassionately. During his time in the hospitality industry, Page obtained a certification as a Sommelier from The Guild of Master Sommeliers. He uses his knowledge and skill in the world of wine and liquor often during parties. During his time off from work, Page follows one of his other passions, which is the passion for flight. Page holds a Private Pilot License and loves to fly his airplane anytime he has the opportunity. In fact, Page has flown to meet with Genesis surrogates while they were in the hospital on a number of occasions.

Kelly Dethlefs is the Surrogate Intake Coordinator. Kelly works directly with Surrogates and helps them navigate the application process. Kelly is uniquely qualified because she has been a surrogate herself three times for two amazing families. All of her journeys were with the Genesis Group and spanned from 2013 to 2017. She loves hearing the joy and excitement the Surrogates show when they get published and matched. And even more so when they get positive betas and heartbeat confirmations. It brings her such purpose and fulfillment to still feel able to help in this way. She could not have gone through her journeys or devoted her life to this niche field without the support of her family. She has been married to her hubby for almost 14 years and they share two kids of their own, both soon to be teenagers. It is her family that fuels her to help others have the same.

Sonia Fuentes is the Surrogate Coordinator. Sonia is an experienced Surrogate herself. After a 20 year career in retail management, Sonia found herself advocating for surrogacy in a special way. Using her own personal experiences as a surrogate and as a professional, Sonia has been able to provide support and influence that goes beyond her title of Surrogate Coordinator.

Kayla Weidner is the Egg Donor Coordinator. Kayla's passion for what she does initially came from being an egg donor herself. She has been an egg donor four times and has had the incredible chance to build friendships with a few of the Intended Parents she has donated to. Going to appointments and seeing how everyone came together for a common goal of helping someone become a parent quickly became something she knew she wanted to be a part of long term. Since joining the Genesis team, she has had the opportunity to connect with so many other young women, share personal experiences, and guide them through the process of being a donor. Family is very important to her - she is the oldest of four - and being a small part of such beautiful journeys is such a rewarding career for her

Kim Castañeda is the Surrogate Coordinator. She works closely with the Surrogacy Team to provide administrative support.