Our Team
Ross M. Brown – Executive Director
Ross is the brother of Robbie Brown who disappeared in 1968 and as such can truly understand the devastating loss that families with missing children experience. Ross has eighteen years of experience in working with children, youth, and families that he brings to Courage to Cope.
Shirley Brown – Associate Director
It was August 1968 when Shirley’s twelve year old son, Robbie disappeared. As a mother, her world changed forever. Shirley has learned a great deal over the past 35 years and has spent a great deal of that time helping women who, for whatever reasons, are hurting. Shirley and her husband Ross Sr., who passed away June 2001, have three children: Ross, Michael and Catherine.
Robert Hooper, B.A., LL.B. – Chairman of the Board
Rob has his own law office in the City of Hamilton. He has a great deal of passion for things that involve family and children as is shown through his involvement with the boards of various community organizations. Rob is the Past-Chair of Big Brothers of Burlington and Hamilton-Wentworth and is currently their Vice-Chair and Board member. He also sits on the boards of Creative Arts, and the Wilson Junior Golf Tour.
Noreen Brown – Associate Director
Noreen is a Senior Sales Leader with Fifth Avenue Collection running a team of ladies, training and equipping them to run their own home businesses. Noreen has been with Fifth Avenue for 15 years. She is the wife of Ross Brown and they have been married for 19 years and have 3 children. Noreen has been supportive to her husband Ross with his vision and dream, helping with Courage to Cope from the beginning. She has played a key role with Ross in organizing and developing “C to C”. Her marketing and organizational skills have helped with our fundraising events from the start. She is passionate about helping families with missing children. She feels an organization such as Courage to Cope is deeply needed to help support parents and their children as they face each painful day searching for the unknown answers.
Lori Raudnask – Board Member
Lori is a Senior Sales Manager, for Fifth Avenue Collection Jewellery and has been successfully self-employed since 1988.   She is a member of the Stoney Creek Chamber of Commerce. Her community work spans many years and organizations. From 1996 – 2005 she has been the Chair of the R. L. Hyslop, Green Acres and Orchard Park Secondary School Councils.  In 1996 she was the proud recipient of the Stoney Creek Volunteer Recognition Award in appreciation of her work with the schools.  In 2002 Lori was the Stoney Creek Citizen of the Year, and was nominated for Woman of the Year in 2003. She is the Past Commodore of the Fifty Point Yacht Club and volunteered for Camp Trillium.  Lori is driven by a code of personal conduct that includes honesty, integrity, excellence and continuous self improvement.
Sheila Levack – Board Member
Sheila is passionate about social issues and believes that a community flourishes when members contribute by volunteering and giving back. She is currently a Training and Communications Advisor for the Lubricants division of Petro-Canada and is the Lead Editor of Contact Point, a newsletter designed to improve communications with their Distributor and Associate network globally. Previously, she was part of Petro-Canada’s Corporate Communications team for 5 years where one of her core responsibilities was providing stewardship for their multiple Ontario-based Community Investment initiatives and their Volunteer Energy program for employees and retirees. Sheila is the 2006 co-Project Coordinator for the inaugural National Hunger Awareness Day project for the Canadian Association of Food Banks. She has also been quite involved with the multi-award winning thINK FOOD / Phones-for-Food project: a recycling-fundraiser to alleviate hunger by providing both strategic development and communications support. Additionally, Sheila is the co-Partner of 24 Betterment: a consulting practice specializing in multi-stakeholder relations, strategic planning and organizational development with a specific focus on advocacy initiatives to improve government policies and create a better society for us all to live in. She brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Courage to Cope including public relations, project management and planning skills.