Surrogate Alternatives, Inc. (SAI)

My name is Diana Olmeda, I am the President and CEO of Surrogate Alternatives, Inc. In 1997 I chose to pursue a career in third-party reproduction after a close family friend approached me about becoming a surrogate for her and her spouse. She had a severe medical condition that prohibited her from carrying her own child. Unfortunately, her health deteriorated quickly and I wasn’t able to fulfill their dream. I had two previous, uncomplicated pregnancies and loved being pregnant, so the thought of being able to give the gift of life to someone else was something I felt determined to do. I met with a local couple and became pregnant with their TWINS later that year. I felt surrogacy was my passion so, after months of research and meetings with industry professionals, I launched Surrogate Alternatives, Inc. in 1998. Built from the ground up when there were only a handful of agencies located in the state of California, Surrogate Alternatives has become known and recognized worldwide as one of the top rated surrogacy agencies in the United States. The goal I had in mind when choosing my career path was to implement the strong morals and values I grew up with and build a company my employees and I could be proud to be a part of. I have spent over 20 years perfecting the complicated process of building families through third-party reproduction, with the knowledge and experience I have gained and shared with all of my staff. I will always make sure my team puts your interests and needs first and gives you the personalized attention you deserve. I am confident in our ability to make your experience as enjoyable and as memorable as possible! At Surrogate Alternatives, my employees are like family to me, I want them to feel like they are sharing in my success because, without them, I wouldn’t be able to live out my dream of helping others build their OWN families.

I am the Director of Marketing and Social Media at Surrogate Alternatives, Inc. (SAI). I have over 20 years of professional security and logistics experience as well as social media, content management and marketing experience. I’m kindly considered as the ‘Jack of all trades’ here at SAI. Previously, I served on the Presidential Advance Team for President Clinton and worked in the White House Office of Scheduling and Advance alongside the United States Secret Service personnel where I coordinated logistical arrangements for the President of the United States. During my 20+ years of experience, I not only worked for President Clinton, but I also worked for many high-level executives including handling the protection for the Chairman and Founder of eBay, Pierre Omidyar and as a Global Security Manager who coordinated security and protected the President of Sony PlayStation, Jack Trenton. I’ve also had the pleasure of selling my website to Founder and Chairman of FUBU, Daymond John, who currently appears on the ABC TV hit show, Shark Tank. While working for Daymond John I also spearheaded his entertainment website, Y2G, as the Content Director. My interest in surrogacy began after meeting my incredible wife, President, and Founder of Surrogate Alternatives, Diana Olmeda. I quickly began to forge a love for building families and started my apprenticeship under my wife where I quickly became involved in all aspects of SAI operations that I’m now the Director of Marketing and Social Media! My career has taken a 180 turn, and it’s been a rewarding process that I am humbled by. Not only can you find me assisting SAI behind the scenes, but I am now front and center hosting my very own podcast, ‘Building Families”, the Official Podcast of Surrogate Alternatives. Available on Spotify, iTunes and SoundCloud ‘Building Families’ offers tips and insight into surrogacy from an agency perspective and has been well received by Surrogates and Intended Parents alike. My commitment to SAI and to helping build families is evident in my passion for surrogacy and one that continues to grow. As a father to an amazing daughter, Marissa, I understand the joy of parenthood and can’t imagine others not being able to have the same experiences that I have. There’s nothing more rewarding than watching a couple who’s suffered fertility issues for several years walk into our office looking for help and than a year later the look on their face when they are holding their biological baby, it’s priceless. It makes you feel like you’ve just changed the world. You’ve helped alter the course of a couple for generations to come. There’s truly no other feeling like it.

I am the Office Manager here at SAI. While I have no first-hand knowledge of surrogacy (never having completed a journey myself) I have worked in Management, Employee Development and Human Resources for more than thirty years and was delighted to join the SAI team in early 2018. I grew up in Texas. I have traveled extensively, and have lived in Florida, Washington, DC and Virginia, but since moving to San Diego in the Fall of 2017 I have come to realize that I was always meant to be a California girl. I worked in the Hospitality, HR and Staffing fields for most of my professional career, but also spent time in the insurance field, worked as a Program Manager at the local employment office, and an Office Manager for two local funeral homes, all while running my own Staging business on the side. After visiting some long-time friends who had relocated to San Diego, I was persuaded (rather easily, I might add) to move to the West Coast and start a new chapter. After having spent the last few years working in an often sad and frequently stressful environment at the funeral home, I was very excited to come across an intriguing job opening at this interesting gestational surrogacy agency. It felt like fate, providence, or karma…whatever term you’re most comfortable with. After surviving in an environment designed to care for those who have departed this life, I felt like I was rewarded with an environment that welcomed in and celebrated new life. Now, I love my job with SAI and I can’t imagine working anywhere else.

My name is Rebecca Deegan and I am the Lead Client Services Director at SAI. Surrogacy is a very important part of my life. I am fortunate to have been both a Surrogate myself in the past. I delivered twin girls for a gay couple in the U.S. in 2015 and delivered a boy for a couple in the U.S. in 2017. I am now retired from being a surrogate but feel lucky to be able to live and breathe surrogacy each and every day through my work. I started working at SAI in 2015 after my journey as a surrogate. The passion I feel for this industry has lead me to where I am today. As the Lead Client Services Director at SAI, my job is to educate and assist Intended Parents through the surrogacy process. I’m also here to answer your questions and to provide you with a high level of service as you consider this life-changing decision. One of the best aspects of this job and one that I absolutely love is watching journeys unfold from beginning to end, knowing I had a helping hand in the process. If you have or are currently considering becoming an Intended Parent, please contact me directly. I would love to help get you started!!

As a Support Coordinator for SAI, I work daily with Surrogates to assess their needs and provide support in any way needed. This could mean attending doctor’s appointments, visiting Surrogates at the hospital, attending Surrogate Mother Support Group meetings, or talking and emailing Surrogates to check on their wellbeing. Nurturing is part of who I am, and I found the perfect place at SAI gestational carrier agency, which allows me to use my skills to their best advantage. I am a proud military wife with an amazing hero of a husband and three wonderful children of my own (two girls and one boy). As a hometown San Diego girl, I enjoy being outdoors; going hiking, kayaking and snowboarding with my family is actually my favorite way to spend a Sunday afternoon! As you can imagine, family is very important to me. I come from a large clan…I’m one of nine children! Having a big family means having loud family get-togethers; loving, arguing, playing and building those memorable moments. I recently completed my first surrogacy, and gave birth to boy/girl twins in May of 2018. Along with the birth of my own children, being a surrogate has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done, and I consider it among my most important accomplishments.

My name is Nicole Leon and I am the newest member of Surrogate Alternatives. I work as a surrogacy Support Coordinator. My role as agency Support Coordinator involves providing our surrogates with all the support they may need, from attention to their daily struggles, to doctor appointments, answering questions, helping communicate with IPs, or just being there to listen to our girls. Whatever our surrogates need, I’m here to help them. I am a proud mother of two children, with one on the way. One girl and one boy, with the newest member being our pending little tiebreaker. Motherhood has always been very important to me. Ever since I could remember, I wanted to be a mom. So, having my children has been a dream come true. We are a very busy and active family… we love to travel and we love Disney! Our most recent vacation was to the Bahamas on a Disney cruise, and it was everything we hoped it would be. Surrogacy has always occupied a special place in my heart. Before having my daughter, I too struggled with infertility. The thought of never being able to have my own family completely crushed me. With the help of some amazing doctors, I was able to have the issue corrected and have the family I had always dreamed of. I have yet to complete a journey myself but once my newest little one arrives to complete our family, I plan on working to help another family live out their dream of having a family of their own.