It’s high school graduation time, so on this month’s Outspoken Voices podcast we quiz two parents about their experiences as empty-nesters, as their kids grew up and headed out into the world.
Meet Our Guests
Kim Bergman, Ph.D.
Kim Bergman, Ph.D., licensed psychologist, is co-owner of Growing Generations, one of the largest surrogacy agencies in the world. She has specialized in third party assisted reproduction and LGBTQ parenting since the early 1990s. Dr. Bergman is an expert on the historically groundbreaking topic of parenting by choice, particularly within the LGBTQ community. She provides her expertise to hundreds of parents and intended parents from around the world to assist them in the complex, extraordinary assisted reproductive process. Dr. Bergman is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Los Angeles County Psychological Association, the Lesbian and Gay Psychotherapy Association, and the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. She is a member of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and a founding member of the ASRM LGBTQ Special Interest Group, Dr. Bergman is a Mental Health Advisor to The Society for Ethics for Egg Donation and Surrogacy. She is a national emeritus board member of the Family Equality Council.
Dr. Bergman writes, teaches and speaks on ethical family building internationally. She has coauthored “Gay Men Who Become Fathers via Surrogacy: The Transition to Parenthood”, (Journal of GLBT Family Studies, April 2010). She has multiple research projects in process, designed to further our knowledge, understanding and ability to serve this ever-growing population.
Dr. Bergman lives with her wife of over 34 years and has two daughters in college.
Maureen Hurley
Maureen Hurley is an educator who has worked in schools, colleges and universities serving students and families for over 30 years. She is an expert in transition programs and won the National Orientation Directors Association (NODA’s) Outstanding Professional Award. She has taught a seminar entitled “Parenting During the College Years” to over 30,000 people. Much of her work has focused on college access for under-represented communities. She is currently the director of Parent and Family Programs at Emerson College in Boston.
Maureen has been involved with the Family Equality Council since the days it was known as the Family Pride Coalition, coinciding when she and her wife became parents in the mid-1990’s. She has been active in Marriage Equality for years, and she and her wife are among the first 200 couples to be legally married in the United States (in May, 2004). Her daughter, Lizzy, a veteran of many Family Weeks in Provincetown, was one of the founding members of Outspoken Generations.