About Us

About Us

Welcome to FertilityAuthority, where our goal is to empower you and help you make the best, most efficient decisions about your fertility.

FertilityAuthority is the only web portal dedicated to fertility. We want you to be proactive regarding your fertility and provide the tools and information you need to do so: best-of-breed content written by healthcare writers and journalists and vetted by reproductive endocrinologists; a robust interactive community of bloggers, columnists and message boards; a growing video library of patient testimonials and a growing medical library of research papers; breaking fertility news; and a database connecting you to fertility specialists.

Our founding females are media professionals who are experienced and driven and, what makes us more even more qualified than our MBAs, is the fact that many of us are or have been infertility patients. We are a passionate team and we understand the need for one, comprehensive source of fertility information.

FertilityAuthority.com, LLC, is a Delaware Limited Liability Company, funded by accredited investors as well as cash flow from advertising and marketing services produced by the website.

We are very interested in hearing from you and welcome your comments, suggestions and feedback. Please email us at feedback@fertilityauthority.com.

FertilityAuthority
150 East 49th Street, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Phone: (212) 888-3124
Fax: (212) 813-1845

Management Team

Gina Bartasi, Founder, Chief Executive Officer
gina@fertilityauthority.com
A seasoned entrepreneur, Gina brings more than 17 years of experience to FertilityAuthority.com with a proven track record of building new business ideas from the ground up. She has launched several key brands and websites with a focus on financial performance and profitability. Prior to FertilityAuthority.com, Gina was the founder and chairman of The Leader Publishing Group, a magazine publishing firm in Atlanta, GA where she was an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year finalist, Metro Atlanta Chamber's Small Business Person of the Year finalist and a finalist for Woman of the Year in Technology. Gina received her BS from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a graduate of Harvard Business School. She serves on the boards of The Carter Center's Board of Councilors, Camp Sunshine, and UNC-Chapel Hill’s Department of Communications Studies. Gina and her husband reside in New York City.

Jennifer A. Redmond, Co-founder, Editor-in-Chief
jennifer@fertilityauthority.com
Jennifer has 20 years experience as a writer and editor, specializing in health care and reproductive health for the last several years. She has been published in Prevention magazine, and has had senior roles with several infertility-focused publications: writer/editor for REI Nurse Perspective and editor/publisher of the quarterly magazine, Family Building. She has had leadership roles in the launch and/or re-launch of several websites. Jennifer was the Director/Acting Director of Communications for RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association from 2003-2008, and prior to RESOLVE, she was a Senior Editor with Inc.com, Inc. magazine’s website. Jennifer has a BA from Adelphi University in New York and she and her husband live in Boston.

Sales & Marketing Team

Nancy Harrington, RNC-REIN, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, East Coast Region
nancy@fertilityauthority.com
Nancy is a senior executive with over 25 years of reproductive health care industry experience. She will lead our sales team and develop online strategies and effective marketing solutions for the fertility industry. Nancy brings a unique combination of skills to Fertility Authority including consultative sales, marketing, clinical education/training, and business development. Her past positions include Center Director of an IVF program in Massachusetts, Director of Allied Health and Consumer Education at EMD Serono and Vice President of Reproductive Health Services at ivpcare, a Specialty Pharmacy.

Nancy has also been very involved with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine and the New England Fertility Society where she served as President in 2004. Nancy is a registered nurse and has a Specialty Certification in Reproductive Endocrinology / Infertility Nursing (RNC-REIN) from the National Certification Corporation. She has lectured extensively in the US and internationally on numerous topics related to Reproductive Health and Fertility. Nancy resides in Beverly, Massachusetts with her husband and has a daughter and a son.

Julie Westlund, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, West Coast Region
julie@fertilityauthority.com
Julie is a senior sales professional who has been in the reproductive healthcare industry since the mid-1980’s. She works closely with IVF Centers in the Western U.S. to help them grow their business through online media strategies tailored specifically to help them outpace their competition. Julie’s experience includes sales management, marketing, business development, and sales training. She has a well-known and well-respected reputation with Reproductive Endocrinologists throughout the country most recently serving as Director of Client Services at IntegraMed (NASDAQ: INMD), and prior to IntegraMed, as Western Regional Sales Director at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Julie holds a Masters in Marketing from Webster University.

Ann Gaines, Account Director
ann@fertilityauthority.com
Ann has a passion for building personal relationships and has proven success in professional sales for more than 16 years. Ann was an upper tier Pharmaceutical Sales Consultant where she was awarded multiple honors including “Representative of the Year”. She most recently enjoyed a seven-year career as a Multi-Million Dollar Realtor where she was recognized for her exemplary customer service skills. Ann has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Valparaiso University and resides in Niles, Michigan with her husband and three children including one set of twins. In her spare time she enjoys running, attending her kids’ sporting events, and volunteering in her community.

Kerry Amen Walker, Vice President, Business Operations
kerry@fertilityauthority.com
Kerry has been working as Vice President of Business Operations at FertilityAuthority since its inception. She leads the SEO and SEM efforts for the site and has been instrumental in creating several marketing partnerships in the digital media space. In addition to driving traffic to the site, Kerry oversees marketing and strategic relationships for FertilityAuthority. Prior to her employment here, Kerry spent 13 years on Wall Street as a convertible bond trader, most recently as Director at the combined firm Citigroup. She was active in MBA recruiting, gave presentations, and mentored several young traders. Kerry has a BA from Villanova University and an MBA from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College. She resides in Scarsdale, NY, with her husband and three children, where she is an active volunteer in the schools and neighborhood association.

User Experience & Interface Team

John Baldwin, Lead Developer
john@fertilityauthority.com
John has 17 years experience in Information Technology, having worked in media and government sectors. He graduated from Southern Illinois University with a degree in journalism and a minor in math. John started as a copy editor at a newspaper in Biloxi, MS, where he tinkered with their computer system and quickly shifted to technology.
John has been developing browser-based applications for several years. He developed systems to improve newspaper production flow as well as website features such as entertainment calendars and ad delivery systems. He is passionate about creating systems with usability as the primary goal.

John resides in Olympia, WA, with his daughter and a cat. In his spare time he plays guitar and practices Tai Chi and Kung Fu.

Paul Bucalo, Customer Acquisition Marketing Manager
paul@fertilityauthority.com
With seven years experience developing Web-based applications for media companies, Paul brings a balance of journalism and programming skills. He graduated from Kent State University with a degree in journalism and political science. Paul got his start in the Web space as an intern at WashingtonPost.com.

Paul was part of the startups Washington CEO Magazine, the Seattle Science Foundation and The T. Colin Campbell Foundation. He developed a custom social networking application to match cancer survivors based on the the specifics of their diagnosis and treatment for PlantBasedNutrition.org. He is passionate about online media and establishing a new revenue paradigm.

Paul resides in Cleveland, Ohio, with his wife, daughter and two dogs. In his spare time he trains for marathons he never actually runs. If you have any technical issues with the site, please contact him at paul@fertilityauthority.com.

Editorial Intern

Alison Baxter
Alison graduated from Villanova University in May, 2010, where she majored in English and French. At Villanova she was a peer advisor to the English department and a member of the Polis Literary Magazine. Alison also interned with the Irish Voice newspaper researching the local Irish culture of Philadelphia and compiling biographies for lawyers featured in the Irish Central’s Legal 100, a listing of prominent Irish lawyers.

Associates

David Stott, Director/Producer, Video Content
david@fertilityauthority.com
David is an award-winning actor, writer and director, bringing 14 years of filmmaking experience to FertilityAuthority.com. As founder and CEO of MATCH productions llc, David has served clients as varied as Moxie Pictures, Granada, A&E Networks, G4, Sam Adams, Visa, Sony, Simon & Schuster, Comcast and Harvard University in the past three years alone. He is a guest artist at Manhattan Theatre Club, one of the country’s most acclaimed theatre organizations, and was recipient of MTC’s coveted Maratony Prize last year. David graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in ’95 and currently serves on the board of the Department of Communications Studies. David lives and works in New York City.

Advisory Board

Alex Baxter
Alex Baxter is General Manager of PARADE Digital. He leads Parade’s interactive initiatives for consumers, newspaper partners and advertisers. Since coming aboard, web traffic has increased significantly, editorial enhanced with focused daily contributions, and the number of partner syndicates grown with attractive new content products.

Alex has held a variety of positions in and managed resources for editorial, sales, marketing, business development, product development, operations, strategic alliances and advertising. Prior to joining PARADE, he was the Executive Director of Digital Media at Wenner Media (Rolling Stone, Us Weekly and Men’s Journal), where he spearheaded Internet, mobile, video and other interactive initiatives. Alex has also served as Vice President of Sales at Silicon Valley startup 4INFO, Director of Internet Sales & Marketing at Dow Jones & Co. / The Wall Street Journal, and as Managing Partner for Transition Assistance Online.

Alex holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, a BS and BA from Southern Wesleyan University, and lives in New York City with his wife, Amanda, and daughter, Sophie.

Maia Benson
Maia Benson leads LexisNexis Search Engine Marketing at LexisNexis to help law firms drive measurable leads to their business. With over 11 years of sales and business development experience in the technology space, Maia understands customer needs and overall search marketing trends as the basis for developing and executing the best products & services.

Prior to working at LexisNexis, Maia spent eight years in Silicon Valley in Sales and Business Development - four years with IDC and two years with Xerox.

Maia lives in Englewood, NJ with her husband and young son and holds a BA in Political Science from Syracuse University and an MBA from Cornell University.

Gina D'Andrea
A seasoned Advertising Executive, Gina brings over 15 years of experience to FertilityAuthority, offering a successful track record in Sales, Sales Leadership and Strategic Development. Most recently, as Senior Vice President of Vertical & Product Sales at AOL, Gina led a team of more than 50 sales professionals responsible for Category Sales, Product Sales, Product Development, Business Analytics & the AOL Performance Network. Gina joined AOL in 2004, responsible for building and leading a Category Sales initiative. Prior to AOL, Gina spent 5 years at Yahoo! holding multiple sales leadership positions, with a focus on Retail and Commerce. She spent her earlier years in the online media business managing sales teams at both GeoCities, and Juno and began her media career at Ziff Davis, where she held multiple sales/sales management positions responsible for selling print advertising for a variety of titles including MacUser, MacWeek, FamilyPC, Computer Life and ZD Internet Magazine. Gina resides in New York City.

Board of Directors

Karen Robinson Cope
As the former CEO of Prime Point Media , Karen was responsible for the overall strategic direction and management of the company. She joined Prime Point Media in 2001 when the company was still in the planning stages and was instrumental in the successful commercialization of the business. Prime Point Media was acquired by OutdoorPartner Media, a publicly traded company located in Toronto, in August 2006 for more than 5 times revenue.

Before joining Prime Point, Karen was chairwoman and CEO of Enrev Corporation, a battery management technology company. At Enrev, she led the company's development of a licensing model for its proprietary products, established a notable roster of private stockholders, and raised more than $41 million of capital. Prior to Enrev, she was president and CEO of Electronic Power Technology, Inc. From 1991 until 1993, she served as vice president of sales and marketing for Amnex, a telecommunications company. Prior to that, Karen served as vice president of sales and marketing for National Data Corporation, a $900 million publicly traded company. Karen holds a BA in economics and political science from the University of Redlands. She is a member of the Board of Advisors of the Carter Center, as well as a board member of a number of companies and non-profits. In 2000 she was honored as the Georgia Technology Woman of the Year and Wireless Weekly named her one of the top 20 Women in the wireless industry. She is a frequent speaker at both the regional and national level where she has most recently spoken at MIT, Georgia Tech, Harvard and Emory Universities.

Contributors

Betsy Anderson is a freelance writer specializing in health and medical topics with a demonstrated understanding of the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries. She has written a number of CME courses, scripts for interactive CD-ROMs, educational videos, 3D animation, and web sites on topics including drug-induced movement disorders, diabetes, bipolar disorder, breast reconstruction, and hemophilia. Betsy's programs have won numerous awards. While on staff at public television’s science documentary series, NOVA, her program on AIDS won a national Emmy award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In addition, Betsy has received highest honors from the International Television Association, John Muir Medical Film Festival, Health Science Communication Association, National Educational Film & Video Festival, and the Association of Visual Communicators.

Jennifer Bright Reich has more than 10 years’ experience in publishing, and she has contributed writing, editing, fact checking, copyediting, or indexing to more than 150 books. Just a few of her credits include writing The Babyproofing Bible, contributing to 12 books in the How to Survive Guide book series, project editing The South Beach Diet Cookbook, indexing The Martha Rules, developmental editing Mrs. Clean Jeans' Housekeeping with Kids, copyediting 8 Weeks to a Healthy Dog, co-writing The Outwit Your Weight Journal, writing two features for Women's Health magazine, more than a dozen Medical Breakthroughs for Prevention, and more than 80 articles in five newspapers.

Diane Clapp was the Medical Information Director of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association, for 29 years. She is the author of numerous articles and fact sheets on infertility and pregnancy loss, and co-author of the book, Resolving Infertility. Diane also contributed to the DVD “Infertility Explained.” She completed the Mind Body Medicine Training at Harvard Medical School, leads support groups, and has a private practice in Sudbury, MA.

Rachel Lehmann-Haupt is an author and investigative journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, The London Times, and Wired. She has worked as a multi-media columnist for MSN Money and was executive editor of Plum magazine. She is the author of In Her Own Sweet Time: Unexpected Adventures in Finding Love, Commitment and Motherhood (Basic Books, 2009).

Joy Cohen Meyers is a freelance writer and editor in Portland, Oregon. As a researcher and copywriter for MTV Books/Penguin Books, Joy’s work has appeared in Road Rules Road Trips and The Real World Diaries. She has worked in human resources and financial recruitment in New York City and Portland, Oregon, as well as as a buyer and manager for an upscale boutique. In 2005, she started her own business, a shop called The English Dept., where she wrote regularly for the company’s blog. The English Dept. received industry accolades garnering her features in Lucky Magazine and Portland Monthly.

Paula J. Maute has 20 years’ experience as a writer/reporter (freelance and staff), copy editor, writing coach and fact checker. She has written news and features for The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Boston Business Journal, Lawyers Weekly USA, Harvard Business School Bulletin, Parent Source Magazine, State House News Service, UPI, The Worcester Business Journal, and The Whole Cat Journal.

Leigh Ann McDonald Woodruff is a freelance writer and editor living in Winston-Salem, N.C. She is the former editor of Piedmont Parent magazine.

Kathryn Mintz writes about a wide range of subjects for educational and financial companies, as well as for non-profits. Before becoming a freelance writer and editor, Kathryn produced online teacher professional development courses in science and mathematics at Teachscape. Earlier, Kathryn published a best-selling series of foreign language instruction courses for a division of Random House. Kathryn studied biology at Columbia University’s Science Honors Program for High School Students, as well as at Wesleyan University, before changing her major to American Studies. She also earned an MBA from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in Glendale Arizona.

Coco Myers is a freelance writer and editor living in East Hampton, New York. Her articles—covering health, style, beauty, and child-care— have appeared in Elle, Elle Decor, Martha Stewart Living, Allure, Parenting, and The New York Times. Previously, she held senior staff positions at Elle, Mirabella, Allure, and Self. Coco is the author, with Susan Carlton, of The Nanny Book: The Smart Parent's Guide to Hiring, Firing, and Every Sticky Situation In Between (1999, St. Martin's Press) and Lyn Peterson's Real Life Kitchens (2007, Clarkson Potter).

Lissa A.H. Poirot is a writer and editor who has covered multiple topics, including entertainment, health, fitness, arts, fashion, lifestyles, travel, and bridal, for national consumer magazines like Arthritis Today, travelgirl, Pregnancy and Modern Brideas well as trade and business-to-business subjects on design, engineering and tennis for magazines including Display & Design Ideas, CE News and the United States Tennis Association’s Tennis Championship Magazine.

Christa Sgobba is a writer and editor with a demonstrated interest in women’s health issues. Previously, she worked as an intern with FertilityAuthority and as an associate editor with East West magazine, an Asian American lifestyle publication where she focused on the health disparities affecting women in the community. After graduating summa cum laude from Wilkes University, Christa completed New York University’s Summer Publishing Institute in 2010, where she honed her digital skills writing for an online platform.

Susan Sweenie is a communications professional with years of experience as a freelance writer, authoring byline articles for her clients in the healthcare sector. She has assisted in the development of editorial web content and company newsletters in addition to authoring articles focusing on numerous healthcare and business-related topics. Her work has appeared in publications such as Boston Herald’s Women’s Business, The Journal of Consumer Marketing and The Canton Citizen.