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About Heart to Hands

Ethical people. Intentional practices. Heartful surrogacy.

an identity
of heart

Surrogacy is a journey that requires patience and demands courage. Through all the families we’ve helped, we believe heart is the one, all-important ingredient. Like our founder, Adrienne—a four-time surrogate and industry leader—we hold dear the power of emotional connection. Whether it’s her, one of our dedicated representatives, or anyone in our surrogacy network, we promise to give your creation story the heart it deserves.

Our mission

Heart to Hands delivers an ethical, transparent and heartful experience
for surrogates and intended parents.

Our vision

To ensure that every child born through surrogacy has a creation story filled with love and intention.

a word from
our founder

“I’ve been in the surrogacy and family-creation communities for over 20 years and, in that time, I’ve had the honor of working with hundreds of families. As an experienced surrogate myself, believe me: there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your intended parents expand with love and intention.
After years as a doula, childbirth educator, midwife and eventual four-time surrogate, the industry felt like it was lacking a pivotal ingredient: heart. I wanted to create a surrogacy agency with a global reach and a noble goal. I wanted to build a place where every relationship tells a unique creation story with characters, motivations, struggles and goals—and approach those stories with the empathy and expertise they deserve.
Heart to Hands is surrogacy with heart. Here, we believe that with love, the power of surrogacy is truly limitless. I invite you to meet my team, learn about what makes us different, and fall in love with the beauty of surrogacy—just as I have.”
watch the video

meet
our team

adrienne
black

founder / ceo

jim
vandagrift

coo

sara
miller

agency director

melissa
collins

senior intended parent case manager

jess
kiehner

intended parent case manager

trisha
lund

senior surrogate case manager | insurance specialist

Kristina
Shrewsbury

Surrogate Case Manager

Amber
Hoecker

Senior Intake Coordinator

katie
ferguson

surrogate case manager & intake coordinator

katherine
vandagrift

surrogate engagement specialist

dottie
cortez

social media manager

dawn
kahle

admin assistant

christian
vandagrift

service specialist

joel
domschot

financial specialist

Where love grows families.

why
heart to hands?

Heart to Hands was created to be a full-service surrogacy agency, designed to help families and surrogates through their entire surrogacy journeys—start to finish. With fast, thorough matching, deep industry knowledge and heart-based history, we’re confident in our ability to write your creation story.
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Kristina
Shrewsbury

Surrogate Case Manager

Kristina was born & raised in her hometown of Las Vegas, NV. As a true local, she playfully describes herself as “one of the few, one of the friendly” and is married to her best friend and soulmate, Tony. Family means the world to her. Her adoptive mom experienced two ectopic pregnancies and adopted Kristina as well as her 6 adoptive siblings in a home filled with love, laughter, and plenty of joyful chaos. She is also a doting mother to her two wonderful kids, four fur babies affectionately named after movie characters: Binx, Pennywise, Selina Kyle, and Fiona, and the family fish, Chicken Nugget. When she’s not immersed in the world of surrogacy, she enjoys trying new foods, diving into new experiences, and rocking out to Taylor Swift.

Kristina is a 2x (now retired) surrogate. She loves to share her knowledge and experience with anyone who will listen, but is always eager to learn more and considers herself a student of life. She believes her true calling lies within ART and has found a deep purpose in supporting surrogates on their journeys since 2022. As a passionate advocate for ethical surrogacy, she is thrilled to find a home with Heart to Hands and assist in changing the world, one surrogacy journey at a time.

jim
vandagrift

coo

Jim Vandagrift loves babies, and creating family is one of his passions. He is the husband of a surrogate, and intimately connected with the Intended Parents and their babies. Through every surrogacy pregnancy, he offers love, support and a sense of family. And when the babies were born, he helps the parents transition into parenthood with kindness, humor, feedings, and even the occasional diaper change.

Jim fills several critical roles in the Heart to Hands Family. He brings balance and efficiency, and he manages all the details of the day-to-day operations. Jim’s past experiences running a thriving business keep Heart to Hands moving smoothly. Jim also fulfills the incredibly important role of escrow manager.

Jim is a father of a large blended family. He has many interests but is currently obsessed with fly fishing, tango and sailing.

“All the effort that goes into surrogacy is rewarded by the look a new parent has on their face when they see their baby for the first time.”

sara
miller

agency director

Sara joined the Heart to Hands team as Agency Director in January 2024. Sara brings with her a diverse and expansive background in the world of Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) family building, both professionally and personally. Sara has a Bachelor’s Degree in Cell and Molecular Biology, and completed two years of an MD program at The University of Iowa College of Medicine before opting to discontinue her medical studies to spend more time with her growing family. While building and raising her young family, Sara spent 10 years doing consulting work for a leading biotech company, before entering the world of ART: first in the capacity as a Case Manager, followed by promotion to Program Director and COO at a surrogacy and egg donation agency. After three years at the agency Sara transitioned to the non-profit world as Director of Business Development and Programming for the non-profit organization Men Having Babies. In this role Sara expanded and strengthened strategic partnerships with ART professionals and worked to develop and improve existing educational panels for Intended Parents thinking about embarking on a surrogacy to grow their family.

Additionally, Sara is a one-time gestational surrogate, delivering a baby boy in 2019 for a same-sex couple who reside in Spain.

Sara’s most important title in life is that of “Mom”, and as such, she is passionate about family and family building. She feels incredibly lucky to live at this point in time when science, medicine, and politics allow many pathways to parenthood. Sara is committed to bringing her whole heart to her work with Heart to Hands clients and industry professionals, and believes that it is our responsibility to provide a heart-based, ethical, and exceptional experience for all of HtH’s clients.

melissa
collins

senior intended parent case manager

Melissa was raised in a non-traditional family in rural southern Oregon and moved to Portland after high school in order to attend Portland State University, eventually graduating with a BS in Sociology. Melissa then spent the next 16 years working in a variety of roles in the healthcare industry, developing skills in customer service, understanding and explaining medical billing and insurance, scheduling, timekeeping and supporting medical providers and patients in family medicine and oncology clinics. Melissa excels at paying attention to details and developing positive, long-term relationships with colleagues and friends.

Melissa met her amazing husband Oli in 2014 and they welcomed their first son Ace into the world in 2017.

Melissa is passionate about supporting people as they make their dreams and goals come true in order to live their best lives. Melissa recognizes that there are multiple ways to define a family and wants to promote the love and compassion that forms a beautiful, healthy family.

jess
kiehner

intended parent case manager

Born and raised in Alaska, Jess finds her closest connection in the great outdoors. Whether it’s exploring the wilderness with her children or tending to their small, regenerative family farm, she embraces the change in every season of life. With over 20 years in client based healthcare and 12 years of experience in birthing centers alongside midwives, she has held roles as an office manager and billing manager, affording her a diverse understanding of the unique needs within various family dynamics. Her genuine passion lies in forming connections with individuals and witnessing the growth of families. She believes that families are conceived and nurtured through love, and that the greater the diversity of families in the world the more our world is enriched with beauty.

Through a very challenging personal journey spanning more than a decade to bring her children into the world, Jess has acquired invaluable insights and cultivated a deep sense of empathy for the extraordinary paths individuals undertake on their journey to parenthood. She considers herself fortunate to be a part of this exceptional team and eagerly anticipates the opportunity to get to know you and contribute to your unique journey.

trisha
lund

senior surrogate case manager | insurance specialist

Trisha brings an amazing background of experience, knowledge and skill to the Heart to Hands family. Since 2007, Trisha has worked in the surrogacy community supporting diverse surrogacy journeys, including international, domestic, gay and heterosexual families. Trisha has a strong sense of organization, provides genuine and connected care, and takes a down to earth approach to supporting families through surrogacy. She is the very best at making sure that your surrogacy journey goes smoothly.

Trisha Says: “I am happy to be with an amazing agency and family to help you along your journey. I have been in the surrogacy industry since 2007 and I also have my bachelors degree from CSU, Chico in Biology, so I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. I have been a surrogate 5 times for 5 incredible families and know the joy of being a surrogate and the joy of seeing the parents so truly happy. I have been married for 19 yrs and have 3 almost grown daughters. I love pigs, farming, gardening, and puzzles.”

“I know surrogacy is a big decision whether you’re a surrogate or intended parent and I am excited to help you along on your journey.”

katie
ferguson

surrogate case manager & intake coordinator

Katie was born and raised in Iowa, but now resides in the Florida sunshine state! She spends all her free time at the beach or on a boat. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and has spent the last 12 years in that industry. She is a mom to two girls who are her very best friends! Having her own family is a huge reason she wanted to help build another family and became a surrogate.

She’s been a surrogate one time and that journey led her to want to switch careers to be apart of other’s amazing journeys! She is a huge people person and is very passionate about helping new surrogates feel comfortable and confident in their intake process! She is beyond excited to have found a home at an agency as great as Heart to Hands!

katherine
vandagrift

surrogate engagement specialist

Katherine was born and raised in Southern Oregon. She is a mother to 5 and a grandmother. She has a masters degree in education and a bachelor’s degree in international studies. She worked as a teacher in the USA and internationally for the past six years. She strongly believes in inclusivity and people having the agency to meet their goals. Katherine is fully committed to supporting the process of creating families with love and believes that it is a great gift to be able to be involved in the process.

Her background is in International Education and she has experience with people from many walks of life which gives her the heart to work easily with a variety of people. She firmly believes that all people should be supported in their own way and has watched HTH do just that in their mission of being heart-based, ethical and exceptional since their opening. She worked as a surrogate intake specialist when Heart To Hands was just beginning and has recently rejoined Heart To Hands Surrogacy to further support families on their unique journey of creating loving, healthy families.

dottie
cortez

social media manager

Dottie graduated in 2001 & married her soulmate in 2002, in SW FL, where she was raised. She has lived in TN for the last 8 years, with her husband, and homeschools their children- ages 20, 17, & 10. Dottie has always loved all things pregnancy, birth, babies, & breastfeeding. She’s been passionate in the surrogacy community since 2014, helping others before, during, & after she was able to carry as a surrogate. Her first & only (due to postpartum complications) surrogacy journey was for a traditional couple in IN. She is proudly known as “Aunt Dot” to the beautiful baby girl she delivered in January @ 9lbs9oz!

“I’m thrilled- to not only be able to work in a field I’m so passionate about, but also to be with an agency that has as much heart as Heart to Hands does!”

dawn
kahle

admin assistant

Dawn grew up in California, as a daughter to an OB Nurse and Doula. She grew up attending lamaze classes, helping show mamas-to-be how to breathe and using the anatomical models with deft accuracy. After school time was spent doing homework in the fertility break room, watching embryo development videos while wrapping up algebra assignments. As a college student she decided to become an egg donor, and completed 5 cycles for couples.

After giving birth to her first child, the idea of surrogacy became even more appealing. The thought of being able to share the incredible moments around growing a family was too good not to pursue. She is currently immersed in all things surrogacy, and beginning the process of her own journey as a surrogate.

Dawn is passionate about caring for others in every sense of the phrase- she owns a small bakery in Eugene and enjoys feeding others home-made goods. She shares her passion for art with the community through art shows and vending at local markets, and frequently adds to their furry, scaly and feathered family as injured and orphaned animals cross her path. She and her family travel as often as life allows, and dreams of relocating her family to a remote self-sustaining homestead on an island someday.

christian
vandagrift

service specialist

A recent transplant to Tokyo, Christian grew up in the Pacific Northwest around a large extended family. Some of his family members who were involved in surrogacy gave him the opportunity to experience first hand how surrogacy helps families grow.

With a background in business and IT/ Programing, combined with his detail to attention, Christian is a perfect fit to handle our IT & financial needs here at Heart to Hands.

Amber
Hoecker

Senior Intake Coordinator

Originally from Northern California, Amber moved to Portland, Oregon in 2001 and got her BA in English from Portland State University.

Amber found her passion for helping people when she began working with the homeless for several years before switching careers and began helping families at Oregon Reproductive Medicine in Portland in July 2011, first as an Administrative Assistant and then as an Egg Donor Coordinator.

After living in Portland, Oregon for 15 years, she moved to Eugene in 2015. She lives there with her husband, two kids, two dogs, and a lizard.

Amber has personal experience with the intake process of Surrogacy and feels lucky to be put in a role where she can help surrogates with questions and support them in their choices, all the way through their journey.

“I truly feel like I’m part of an amazing team at Heart to Hands. There is so much compassion and support we give to each other and to our surrogates and Intended Parents. I love what I do!”

adrienne
black

founder / ceo

watch the video

Adrienne’s is an experienced (and now retired!) surrogate. In 2007, Adrienne delivered an amazingly sweet and serious little boy for domestic heterosexual Intended Parents, and in 2009 carried his boisterous and charming brother and sister. In 2012, she delivered darling twin girls for an international heterosexual family. Her final surrogacy was for a pair of daddies in the Pacific Northwest, and she delivered a gentle and smiling son for them.

Adrienne started her family building career as a doula, childbirth educator, and midwife, and received extensive training in counseling, communication and facilitation. She continued her surrogacy education as a legal assistant for over 5 years in a surrogacy and family formation law firm, and has an extensive understanding of the legal components of surrogacy relationships. In 2011, she opened Heart to Hands Surrogacy where she provides heart-based, ethical and exceptional care to surrogates and intended parents.

Adrienne is an active member of many professional organizations including American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Path2Parenthood, and Society for Ethics in Egg Donation and Surrogacy. She also co-founded and co-chairs the Oregon Surrogacy Professionals Organization, moderates an active professionals online group, and organizes and facilitates Surrogacy Professionals Retreats.

Adrienne has a deep belief in the beauty and hard work of surrogacy. She is committed to supporting and facilitating loving, strong and cooperative relationships between Intended Parents and Surrogates.

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