Valerie is the owner of A Step Ahead Adoption Services. Valerie has many roles within ASA. As an adoption coach, she walks alongside families as they navigate their adoption journey, 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 two times (and are currently working on a third). They have walked through the trials of foster care, have been past clients of ASA and have experienced the heart break of a failed adoption. 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!

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 has been an Adoption Consultant for over 15 years. She and her husband adopted their son 17 years ago and are currently working towards adopting another teen through foster care. They are both active teens and Donna is an at-home mom and coach. 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.

Heather has a BS in elementary education and French from Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania. For several years she worked as an elementary media specialist, followed by 8 years as a public children’s librarian and director of a small public library. Heather’s lifelong love of working with children naturally translated into a desire to help create families through the miracle of adoption. During their own adoption journey, Heather discovered a local adoption support group, and her passion for adoption was born. After bringing home their daughter through the help of an ASA consultant, Heather became very active with the adoption support group, encouraging others in their adoption journeys. This eventually brought Heather back to ASA to join her love of working with children with her love of adoption. Heather currently lives with her husband and two children in Orlando, Florida.

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 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 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 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 coach. 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.