Who We Are
Sanford M. Benardo, Esq., Founder and President
Sanford M. Benardo has achieved global recognition within the legal and medical communities as an innovator in the fields of surrogate parenting and third party family building. For years, he has been a featured commentator when major television outlets cover stories related to assisted reproduction and adoption, and he is quoted often in domestic and international print media. He has represented intended parents, gestational carriers, traditional carriers, egg donors, donor egg recipients, donor egg facilities, hospitals, adoption agencies, adoptive parents, and birth parents as part of his broad-based fertility law practice.
Mr. Benardo sits on the American Bar Association's Subcommittees on Reproductive and Genetic Technologies, Adoption, and Ethics, Professionalism and Grievance. He is a founding member of the American College of Assisted Reproduction and Adoption Lawyers (ACARAL) and a past member of the Bioethical Issues Committee and the Children and the Law Committee of the New York City Bar Association. Additionally, he is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), the New England Fertility Society, and the Hastings Center for Bioethical Research. Mr. Benardo is also a board member and advisor to several philanthropic and research organizations dedicated to expanding reproductive rights and reproductive choice. He is a graduate of New York University and the Fordham University School of Law, where he was a member of the Fordham International Law Journal. He is admitted to the Bars of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the State of New York, and the United States District Court for the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York.
David G. Tobias, Esq., General Counsel
David Tobias has been practicing law for almost thirty years, representing clients in litigations and commercial matters. David also has significant experience in the field of assisted reproductive technology. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York County Lawyers Association, and the New York City Bar Association. He received his BA from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and his JD at Emory University School of Law.
Ellen S. Glazer, LICSW, Surrogacy Coordinator
Ellen S. Glazer is a clinical social worker with more than twenty years experience helping people build and expand their families. She is the author or co-author of six books on reproductive medicine as well as articles that have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Conceive Magazine, Family Building, and other publications. Her books are: Without Child: Experiencing and Resolving Infertility (1988, co-authored with Dr. Susan Cooper), The Long Awaited Stork: A Guide to Parenting After Infertility (1990, revised 1998), Beyond Infertility: New Paths to Parenthood (1994, co-authored with Dr. Susan Cooper), Experiencing Infertility: Stories to Inform and Inspire (1998), Choosing Assisted Reproduction: Social, Emotional, and Ethical Considerations (1998), and most recently Having Your Baby Through Egg Donation (2005, co-authored with Evelina Sterling). This last publication was included among Library Journalās outstanding consumer health books of 2005. Ellen maintains a private practice in Newton, Massachusetts. She is a graduate of Simmons College, B.A., Northeastern University, M Ed. and Boston University School of Social Work, MSW.
Sharon Goldfarb, RN, MSN, FNP, Egg Donor Coordinator
Sharon Goldfarb is a registered nurse and a certified family nurse practitioner. Since 1989, her work in the medical field has been devoted to health education and women's health, including gynecological and prenatal care. She was an associate professor at Columbia University from 1997 to 2002, and is currently a consultant with Goldfarb Health Options in Berkeley, California. After overcoming infertility issues herself, she is the mother of three. She received a B.A. from Oberlin College, and a B.S. and MN from Pace University.
Katherine Benardo, Egg Donor / Gestational Carrier Program Manager
Kathy leads the pre-screening of our egg donor and gestational carrier candidates. She is actively involved in the matching process, as well as the administrative components of our donor cycles and surrogacies. Kathy received her BA from Smith College and an MA from New York University.
Marisa Rosado, Egg Donor/Gestational Carrier Program Assistant
Marisa has six years of paralegal experience and also assists Mr. Benardo in his private law practice. She received her BS in legal studies (magna cum laude) from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is on her way to law school.
Deborah Levy, Marketing and Outreach
Deborah has an extensive background in traditional and Internet marketing and earned her MBA at Columbia Business School. As a gay parent who benefited from IVF, she is committed to the concept of assisted fertility, especially as it applies to the gay community.
Spencer Billings Nineberg, Relationship Manager
Spencer Billings Nineberg has had many years of personal and professional interest in family building and is herself the mother of thirteen year old twins conceived through egg donation. She maintains a private psychotherapy practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She graduated from York University (England) with a B.A. and undertook additional graduate work at Cambridge University. She received her Masters in Social Work from Smith College.
