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meet the team

Valerie Marble

KANSAS, OWNER

Valerie is the owner of A Step Ahead Adoption Services and has many roles within ASA. As an adoption coach, she walks alongside families as they navigate their adoption journey, as well as oversees all of the adoption coaches, and maintains close working relationships with our trusted agencies and attorneys while working to build new relationships for the future. It is very important to Valerie to keep open, honest communication with both providers and clients alike.

Valerie and her husband, Bryce, have been blessed by adoption not one, but three times! They have walked through the trials of foster care, have been past clients of ASA and have experienced the heartbreak of a failed adoption before being blessed with their youngest. Her career in adoption began a few years ago as an adoption coach with ASA. Her clients always appreciated her first-hand experience and honesty. Before becoming an adoption coach, she worked for eight years in the medical field as an x-ray tech. She turned her passion for patient care into something so much bigger and targeted to a subject that is so close to her heart!
When Valerie was approached about taking over ownership of the company, it was an instant YES! She has the perfect mentor, Diane Hogan (previous owner/founder of over 24 years) and team behind her to help accomplish so much in the adoption world! Adoption education, specifically education on transracial adoption, is very important to Valerie. After working with ASA, you will not only walk away with a new member of your family, but you will also be educated on how to appropriately navigate the adoption world and care for your adopted child. 
It is Valerie’s mission to make all families who work with ASA feel supported every step of the way, from the beginning stages of their adoption to finalization. Valerie’s past experiences give her a very unique perspective to offer all of her clients.

Valerie Marble

KANSAS, OWNER

Valerie is the owner of A Step Ahead Adoption Services and has many roles within ASA. As an adoption coach, she walks alongside families as they navigate their adoption journey, as well as oversees all of the adoption coaches, and maintains close working relationships with our trusted agencies and attorneys while working to build new relationships for the future. It is very important to Valerie to keep open, honest communication with both providers and clients alike.

Valerie and her husband, Bryce, have been blessed by adoption not one, but three times! They have walked through the trials of foster care, have been past clients of ASA and have experienced the heartbreak of a failed adoption before being blessed with their youngest. Her career in adoption began a few years ago as an adoption coach with ASA. Her clients always appreciated her first-hand experience and honesty. Before becoming an adoption coach, she worked for eight years in the medical field as an x-ray tech. She turned her passion for patient care into something so much bigger and targeted to a subject that is so close to her heart!
When Valerie was approached about taking over ownership of the company, it was an instant YES! She has the perfect mentor, Diane Hogan (previous owner/founder of over 24 years) and team behind her to help accomplish so much in the adoption world! Adoption education, specifically education on transracial adoption, is very important to Valerie. After working with ASA, you will not only walk away with a new member of your family, but you will also be educated on how to appropriately navigate the adoption world and care for your adopted child. 
It is Valerie’s mission to make all families who work with ASA feel supported every step of the way, from the beginning stages of their adoption to finalization. Valerie’s past experiences give her a very unique perspective to offer all of her clients.

Diane Hogan

North Carolina, Founder

Founded in 1999 in Charlotte, NC, originally as Step-by-Step Adoption Consultants, Inc., Diane Hogan (founder) and her family relocated to Colorado for 15 years. With the relocation came a need to rename the company A Step Ahead Adoption Services. Diane saw the need to have a comprehensive umbrella of adoption education, mentoring, guidance, consulting, networking and referral, so the new name was a perfect “next step” in the growth of the company.

Now approaching 25 years of service (Sept. 2024), Diane is moving into an ex-officio status and will serve as the company’s senior advisor supporting Valerie Marble in her position as the new owner. To quote Diane, “Valerie has the perfect professional and personal background to take ASA to the next level of adoption support for client families all over the country!”

Donna Henson

Georgia, Adoption Consultant

Donna has been an Adoption Consultant for over 15 years. She and her husband adopted their son 17 years ago and she enjoys being a stay at home while supporting families on their adoption journey. Donna has a great commitment and desire to help others adopt and ensure their adoption journey is a positive one. Donna is very well versed in how adoption works and will be with you until you have your baby in your arms. The Henson’s reside in Buford, GA, which is a suburb of Atlanta, GA.

Lisa Cox

North Carolina, Adoption Consultant

Lisa has a bachelor’s degree in sports management and journalism from the University of Dayton. After a nearly 20-year career in public relations and marketing within the sporting industry, which required extensive travel, Lisa and her husband Jason decided it was time to start a family of their own. They joined an adoption support group, which led them to A Step Ahead Adoption. They soon became clients and just a short time later were matched with their daughter, Carter Mae.

Following a handful of years as a stay-at-home mom, Lisa reached back out to ASA. This time, she hoped to join the adoption consulting team and utilize her marketing background in a more meaningful way. Lisa and her family reside in the Lake Norman, NC area.

Lauren Muzzin

Georgia, Adoption Consultant + Profile Designer

Lauren is an adoptive mom living in Athens, GA (home of the Georgia Bulldogs – GO DAWGS!) with her husband, three sons, and three miniature goldendoodles. She married her high school sweetheart, Derrick, right after graduating from college thirteen years ago. In 2016, they became parents when they adopted their oldest son. Just short of three years later, they traveled to Kansas to adopt their second son. And recently, welcomed their third son through surrogacy. It was after her second adoption, she felt led to advocate and help other families through their adoption journey. She is an open book about her family’s fertility struggles and feels passionate about adoption and its role in helping build families. Lauren also offers professional profile book design for ASA families. Whether it be coaching or profile book design, she looks forward to helping guide and support you through your adoption journey.

Whitney O'Connell

Colorado, Adoption Consultant

Whitney has a B. Ed degree and has worked in the field of adoptions for over 28 years. As an adoption professional, she has helped guide families through the home evaluation process, counseled birth parents, and co-managed an adoption agency for the past 14 years. After relocating from Georgia to Colorado, she wanted to continue her service to adoptive families and joined the team at ASA in September of 2022. She looks forward to helping support and coach you through your adoption journey.

Amber Pombier

Texas, Adoption Consultant + Profile Designer

Amber is a married mother of one living in Texas. She had previously worked nine years in the telecommunication industry before becoming a stay-at-home mother and adoption coach. She and her husband are loving being parents for the first time to their sweet son that they adopted in 2021 with the help of an ASA consultant. Adoption has brought so much joy and life to their family!

Amber is very open about her experiences with infertility and adoption – she loves being able to share her story and support women and families that are going through similar journeys. Besides coaching, Amber also offers professional profile book design for ASA families. She is grateful she can help build families through the gift of adoption.

Giovanna Stallone

Central Florida, Adoption Consultant + Educator

Giovanna (Gia) graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Organizational Communications from Rollins College and has over 15 years of experience in the tech industry. Gia serves as an adoption consultant and works mostly with our Florida families and also teaches monthly webinars on Hospital Prep and Adoption 101. When she and her wife decided to start a family, they found A Step Ahead Adoption and within a few shorts months, they welcomed their son into their home in Austin,Texas. After finalizing their son’s adoption in Texas, Gia and her wife moved back home to Central Florida. Now, Gia has transitioned from the corporate world to pursue a more meaningful career with A Step Ahead Adoption. With a deep personal connection to adoption, she loves sharing her family’s story and feels honored to assist others on their own adoption journeys.

Torie Bateson

Utah, Adoption Consultant + Educator

Torie serves as an adoption consultant and educator with A Step Ahead, as well as the upcoming coordination for donor management and family education through Beyond The Match Foundation. Torie and her husband have been on their adoption journey since 2021. Together they have adopted two sons, but also have walked through multiple disruptions. She is hopeful that from her experience, Torie will be an asset to help families navigate the highs, lows and complexities of adoption. From the beginning, Torie jumped head first into adoption education and listening to adoption stories from all members of the triad. She also worked as an advocate for expectant mothers at an adoption agency. With a huge heart for the birth mother experience, Torie desires to see adoptive parents be educated and realistic as they approach the adoption process.