About Us

Alcea is a decidedly different surrogacy agency that has chartered a way to offer equal opportunities for ALL who wish to create families via surrogacy. This New York based surrogacy agency was built by a team who have walked in the shoes of their clients and recognized that the community of people choosing surrogacy for their family building option is diverse and evolving.

Since our inception, we have envisioned a community in which everyone can come together to share experiences and support each other. We are on a mission to educate, guide and cultivate a space that cares for our surrogates with kindness, trust and transparency. Our clear and comprehensive approach with Intended Parents helps facilitate surrogacy journeys that grow into a lasting bond with our surrogates.

Meet Angela Richardson-Mook, CEO & Founder

Angela is an open, transparent, adoptee and mother via IVF mother, 6-time gestational carrier and egg donor that has dedicated her life to the surrogacy community. Her passion began at home when a close family member came out as gay and faced harsh adversities with fears that they would never be able to have biological children of their own. Since that moment, Angela wanted to help others realize their dreams of having a family when the odds were stacked against them. As a gestational carrier, Angela’s support, encouragement and strength came from surrounding herself with like-minded women who also wanted to impact the lives of others as gestational carriers and within that group of women, the community that Angela created along with Christy Leonardo was born.

Meet Christy Leonardo, Chief Operating Officer

Christy is a thoughtful, brave, mother via reciprocal IVF, 3-time traditional carrier and 1-time gestational carrier that understands first hand what it means to experience both failure and success as a surrogate. It was the immeasurable love that a parent feels for a child that ultimately kept her going; she wanted to help others experience that feeling too.

Working with an agency was a game-changer for Christy. Her experience encouraged her to urge women with a desire to become gestational carriers to find the right agency that meets their needs. The process management, support and advocacy provided by Alcea was inspired by Christy’s own experience where she learned how crucial it was to have a trusted partner to be a guide for such a beautiful life-changing experience.

Alcea is dedicated to creating a community specifically designed for surrogates. Our priority is a healthy and supportive surrogacy journey while empowering our surrogates to follow their dreams, strengthen their financial literacy, and experience new career opportunities.

While third-party reproduction has been male dominated since its inception, it is the women who stand to risk their lives in the process! While silence has prevailed on this issue, Alcea is dedicated to amplifying our voices and leading change…for women, by women.

Firstly, we’d like to say that we’ve been where you are. From failed transfers to feeling discouraged by the limited options for queer intended parents, it’s been a tough road for parents on the Alcea team, who have often felt misunderstood or overwhelmed in their process.

Our approach to surrogacy is comprehensive and effective with 90% of matches made within the first meeting between the surrogate and their prospective intended parent(s). We’ve created a community of surrogates that are passionate about impacting the lives of others and helping to expand families. Matching with the right surrogate is deeply personal and our process gets it just right with a pre-approved, comprehensively screened surrogates. Trust, transparency, inclusivity, and diversity are the cornerstones of Alcea Surrogacy.

Our model prioritizes BIPOC and queer representation for our clients, affiliates, surrogates, donors, staff, and, most importantly, in our actions. Act ethically, consciously promote inclusivity and diversity, be empathetic in all decisions, and serve our clients, affiliates, surrogates, and donors in the most efficient and transparent means imaginable.