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.
With many years of management, sales and marketing experience, Lana started as a consultant to Plan to Protect® in October 2021. Now as the Chief Operation Officer, Lana has merged her passion of leading and supporting a team of professionals, with providing the highest standard of abuse prevention and protection to organizations.
Outside of the office, you'll find her volunteering at her church. She enjoys quality time with her niece and playing board games with her friends and family. She is your go-to foodie for all the best eats in the GTA.
Mollie Sitwell is an effective educator, a seasoned facilitator, and a life-long learner. Mollie works tirelessly at making a meaningful difference in the lives of those she is blessed to know and meet. Driven by her love for people, she enjoys the on-going relationships that she has with many colleagues and students – past and present. In March of 2020, Mollie took on the incredibly daunting challenge of climbing to Mount Everest Base Camp with a former student, now friend. She loves adventures and thrives to tackle obstacles while working closely with others.
Educationally, Mollie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree, and a Bachelor of Education degree from Queen’s University. She is a certified teacher with the Ontario College of Teachers and has recently earned a Human Resources Post Graduate Diploma from Loyalist College.
Mollie, and her husband Craig, have raised three amazing daughters into adulthood. Last year she moved to Toronto to live with and care for her aging mother. One of the many benefits of this is that she now lives walking distance from her one-year-old granddaughter, whom she sees several times a week! As she starts in her role as Lead of Training for Plan to Protect, she is excited to draw from her rich experiences, education, and acquired knowledge base to help this organization move forward during this unprecedented time. Much like she did in Nepal, she plans on working diligently, one step at a time, to reach new heights both personally and professionally. She is eager to meet and serve beside our Plan to Protect clients.
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.
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.
Having worked for most of my career in Sales and Marketing either selling hotel software or as a medical representative focused in the cardiovascular and diabetes division. The last 7 years she pivoted to owning her own business as an art teacher, teaching a new style of european sculpting.
Starting in December 2022 she accepted a new role as Customer Service Associate in the Training and Screening department of Plan to Protect. Tasked with providing support to students in the certification courses, assisting with event planning and updating the website as well as consulting with clients on screening services. Assisting with providing the highest standard of prevention and protection to organizations is paramount to her in this new role.
She holds a Bachelor or Applied Science in Marketing and Consumer Studies from the University of Guelph.
In her spare time, you’ll find Trish either hiking or biking. She loves the outdoors and enjoys travelling with her family. She loves spending time reading and going out to try new types of cuisine.
Tricia resides in Claremont, Ontario, with her husband, Tim, who is in the Pharmaceutical Industry. She has two teenage children and two rambunctious dogs who keeps her busy!
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.
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.
