Having worked with churches, charities and not-for-profits in Senior Executive & risk management roles for most of her career, Melodie launched Plan to Protect®, Inc. fifteen years ago with a desire to raise the bar on safeguarding the vulnerable sector. She accomplishes this through consulting and training and providing leaders with the tools, training and momentum needed to accomplish their vision and goals while safeguarding the mission of the organization and their people.
Melodie is an author of numerous books and journal articles, her most recent book is the 2022 version of Plan to Protect® A Safeguarding Guide for children, youth and adults. As a Victim-Advocate, Melodie is committed to giving voice to victim-survivors of abuse as she stewards the disclosures and stories of abuse on behalf of clients. In 2022, Melodie received her doctorate at the University of Toronto. The focus of her thesis was on nurturing the spiritual healing of victim-survivors of abuse.
Melodie resides in Stouffville, Ontario, with her husband, Scott, who is a Pastor. She has three grown children and two beautiful grandchildren.
Josh joined the Plan to Protect® team in January of 2008 and became the Chief Operating Officer in 2018. He is a graduate of Tyndale University College and Seminary with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy as well as a Bachelor of Education degree. Josh lives in the United Kingdom and lives in Leeds with his wife Esther. Josh is an avid reader and board-game enthusiast who uses his creative abilities to write games for his friends. Josh enjoys serving at his church, leading the University Fellowship and teaching regularly.
Shirley retired in June 2021 after more than 40 years in the Information Technology industry. In September 2023, Shirley came out of retirement to take on the role of Director of Operations for Plan to Protect®.
Shirley made a career decision in 1998 that led to almost 25 years of working in professional services and financial services organizations and leading projects of all sizes throughout Canada and the U.S. Shirley's deepest desire, by joining Plan to Protect®, is to apply the skills she acquired in the corporate world to make a difference for children, youth and vulnerable adults.
In 2020, Shirley started a second career as a technical writer and Digital Storyteller. She has anonymously authored case studies, blogs, eBooks and posts covering a broad range of technical and non-technical topics published on various digital and social media platforms.
Shirley is the chair for the English Ministry Board and actively leads and participates in multiple ministries at the Scarborough Chinese Baptist Church. She has many hobbies which include gardening, baking and cooking.
Born and raised in Regina, Saskatchewan, Shirley and her husband Ron, an educator and retired Olympic-level athlete, now live in Toronto, Ontario. She is a proud mother of three, two daughters and a son, and prouder grandmother to one precious little boy. Shirley holds a bachelor's degree with distinction in Business Administration, majoring in Computer Science and Operations Research/Applied Mathematics.
Naomi worked with Plan to Protect® for 7 years in a number of different roles until she left before the birth of her 3rd child. Now after 5 years, and a 4th child, she is excited to be returning to Plan to Protect® in a new role as Program Lead - Policy. Naomi has a Master's of Theological Studies from Tyndale Seminary and puts that degree to use as the Associate Minister for Children and Youth at her church All Saints Kingsway. With four kids of her own, and with her work with Children and Youth, Naomi is deeply aware of and passionate about protecting the vulnerable. She is excited to be able to assist Plan to Protect's clients and members with their policies as they strive to create safe environments for Children, Youth and Vulnerable Adults.
Naomi lives in Mississauga with her husband, Brian and their four wonderful children, ranging in age from 16 years to 16months old. When she manages to carve out some time for herself, she enjoys being outside or curled up reading a good book.
Craig Ratz joined Plan to Protect® in January of 2022. He was familiar with Plan to Protect® for years before joining the team. He is passionate about protecting the vulnerable sector, and helping others learn about and prevent abuse. He brings many years of technical training and customer service skills to the team, and was recently at Newmarket Alliance Church serving in a Technology Support and Communications role. He graduated from Tyndale University with a degree in History & Global Studies and English in 2020, and was married a few months later. He is newly serving as a Board Member for Newmarket Alliance Church.
Outside of work, you can usually find Craig reading a book or playing games with friends. He can talk all day about a variety of sports as well, and he gets way too excited about NCAA College Football.
As an ordained minister with MNC, Brent is very interested in helping churches, charities, and not-for-profits establish policies, procedures, and best practices for abuse prevention and protection.
Brent is also the President and Founder of C2Sea Evangelistic Association. He holds a MTh from Florida Christian University and he is also an author. Brent and his wife Chani reside with their family in Kingston, ON.
Mikayla joined Plan to Protect® in June 2023. She was familiar with Plan to Protect® for many years before joining the team as she implemented it within her own Church community. Mikayla is passionate about abuse prevention and partnering with others to do the needed work to keep vulnerable sectors safe. Mikayla is also a Youth Director and Project Manager at Milestone Churches and enjoys creating safe community spaces for youth to engage in. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her husband and family, cooking for friends and doing pottery.
Bronwyn joined Plan to Protect® in January 2024. She has served the Lord since she was a young girl in a variety of capacities, both vocationally and non-vocationally, and has worked with all age demographics in the Church and also in the charity/not-for-profit sector. Bronwyn is a graduate of Liberty University and holds a Master of Arts in Worship Leadership and a Bachelor of Science in Worship and Music Studies. Prior to joining Plan to Protect®, Bronwyn served as COO & Deputy Director of an international mission and held the role of worship leader in churches in Canada and the United States. Bronwyn is personally and professionally passionate about abuse prevention and the protection for all vulnerable people.
Florence has over 20 years of work experience, working in many roles within the Corporate Sector. She has education in Business Administration, Human Resources, Life Skills Coaching, Adult Learning and Development and her latest pursuit in Lean Six Sigma. She also volunteered as a mentor at the Woman's Shelter, upcycled furnitures at Habitat for Humanity and working on publishing a children's book.
Maria joined Plan to Protect® in January 2022 and has worked as an Executive Assistant for over 14 years. She has experience in various industries such as construction, electronics, medical footwear and sales. She graduated from Centennial College in 2009 with a Business and Medical Administration diploma. She loves children and is a new mom herself.
Maria is married and has a daughter. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family, going for long walks, baking and visiting friends.
Erica joined Plan to Protect® in April of 2023. She began with Plan to Protect® in a customer service role as she was finishing her education. She graduated with an Accounting Diploma and has moved on to the role of bookkeeper. Erica is passionate about safeguarding the vulnerable sector and uses her experience in work and volunteering at her church to protect and prevent abuse. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her soon-to-be husband, family, and friends. She also enjoys all outdoor activities, especially swimming and anything by a lake!
Babajide Ogunsakin joined the Plan to Protect® team in February 2024 as a Safeguarding Generalist. Jide holds a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and a Masters degree in International Relations and Diplomacy, both from the University of Abuja, Nigeria. He is also enrolled in a Graduate Program in International Development at Humber College, Ontario, Canada.
Jide has been trained on Child Protection both in Africa (Nigeria) and North America (Canada) and has been working in this field since 2017.
Jide is a missionary and a teacher of the Word of God. He was a Sunday School teacher for many years with Foursquare Gospel Church Utako, Abuja Nigeria where He taught the Children class, Teenagers Class, Baptismal Class and Young Adult Class. He is also a worship leader who has led various church and school choir since his Secondary School (High School) days. Outside of work, you will find Jide enjoying his private time with family.
Tori worked with Plan to Protect® as our Director of Training for 6 years before moving to Kenya, where she works at Rift Valley Academy providing Child Protection Supervision to over 500 students. She graduated from Wilfred Laurier University and Nipissing University with a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Bachelor of Education. She loves children and has worked with kids as a Day Camp Director, Assistant Children's Pastor and Teacher.
Tori loves traveling and has traveled extensively across Canada, USA, Italy, Bolivia and the UK. She is creative and loves photography and scrapbooking.
Carol has served as a Children's Pastor for more than 20 years. She is currently on staff with Trinity Baptist Church in Kelowna, BC. Carol is passionate about protecting children. She also finds great joy in her husband Steve and their two sons.
Jane has worked both an educator and a children's pastor. She is married and has joined her husband Bob in Comedy in Motion, www.comedyinmotion.com. Jane knows the challenge of implementing a safe environment for children, it requires commitment to juggle many tasks at once. She has become quite the pro!
Don Hepburn has 37 years experience with the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, working in various capacities and positions from child protection worker to supervisor to senior manager, until his retirement in May 2007. As a senior manager, he was the Director of Branches in North York, Toronto and Scarborough.
During his career at the Children's Aid Society of Toronto, Don always found time to work collaboratively with other community agencies to provide needed services for children and their families. In June 2007 he was the recipient of the Toronto Child Abuse Center's “Making a Difference Award.” This award is presented each year to a person who is committed to the well being of children and families and who demonstrates on a daily basis his commitment to the elimination of child abuse and neglect.
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Ken was instrumental in reviewing Plan to Protect® from an insurance provider perspective and has joined the Advisory Council of Winning Kids Inc. Robertson Hall Insurance underwrites hundreds of churches and charities across Canada. Ken is often invited to speak at conferences on issues related to protection and risk management.
