Diane Hogan

President and Owner of A Step Ahead Adoptions, Inc, holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in education. Along with her 20 years in education, Diane has been actively involved in the adoption community since 1992. She was President of Southern Piedmont Adoptive Families in 1998. Diane has been able to develop relationships with adoption professionals across the country. In addition, Diane is a freelance writer/editor and works contractually for textbook publishers. Diane and her family live in Colorado Springs, CO. Through the miracle of adoption, Diane and her husband, Pat, have a daughter and a son.

 

Only the Colorado Springs, CO office of A Step Ahead Adoption Services is Accredited by the BBB of Colorado Springs.  All Consultants listed below are Independent Contracted Consultants.



Shannon Murphy-Johnson

Director for Domestic Adoption Services, comes to us after working in the world of professional ice skating as a young figure skater and an elite coach. Among Shannon’s many strengths is her passion she brings to her work, coupled with her knowledge of adoption, first and foremost as an adoptee and then as an adoptive parent. Shannon and her husband, Kenneth, have been married 23 years and live in Kansas along with their 4 beautiful children.  Their youngest daughter and son were brought home through the amazing experience of adoption.


Teri K. Heidemann

Senior Domestic Adoption Consultant & ASA Administrative Assistant, has a B.S. degree in Business. She has worked in radio advertising sales and in education for 18 years. Teri and her husband, Mark, have been married for 20 years and live in Concord, NC with their two beautiful children.  Their biological daughter is 17 years old, and their adopted son is 8 years old.


Cindy Lanphier

Senior Adoption Consultant. Cindy immersed herself in to the world of adoption after the placement of their daughter.  She has served on the Board of SPAFA, a local adoption support group, for several years and believes everyone needs to arm themselves with education when adoptin a child.  Cindy holds a B.S. degree in Health Education; Corporate Wellness from Penn State University. Cindy and Mike have been married for 15 years and have a 7 year old adopted daughter; they live in Waxhaw, NC. 



Charlie Marquardt

International and Domestic adoption consultant, is from Charlotte, North Carolina. Charlie holds B.A. and M.A. degrees in education. Her previous work experiences were as a classroom teacher and a school principal. Now, she is a stay-at-home mom to her four children and an adoption consultant. She and her husband, Bill are the proud parents of biological twins (boy & girl), a son adopted from Guatemala, and a daughter adopted domestically. Charlie & Bill used ASA’s services for the adoption of their daughter, Anna Bryan.



Karen Ake

Domestic Adoption Consultant. Karen lives in  Badin, NC. She is married and the mom to her daughter brought home through domestic adoption. Karen works for the park service and does adoption consulting for ASA. Karen & husband, Wayne, successfully survived a contested adoption. Karen provides consulting for client families as well as providing personal support for families facing legal issues in their adoptions.