Charmaine Althia Crooks, C.M, OLY was born in Mandeville, Jamaica, immigrated to Canada at a young age with her parents and siblings. She is a five-time Canadian Olympian and Olympic Silver Medalist (Athletics), a Member of the Order of Canada (C.M), entrepreneur, speaker, and a long serving advocate for sport, community and Athletes. She was the first Canadian woman to run 800 meters in under two minutes. She won gold medals at World Cups, the Pan-American Games and the Commonwealth Games and was named Flag Bearer at the Opening Ceremony of the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, held in Atlanta, Georgia.

Charmaine is a resident of West Vancouver, and is the Founder and President of NGU Consultants Inc. (1994), a global strategic marketing, management, production and corporate consulting company, which provides strategic cross-sectional advisory and business development services to a variety of national and global sectors, from technology, sports, to major events. She is a Corporate Director, serving on a variety of profit and non-profit Boards, including the national Board of The Heart and Stroke Foundation and currently, 365 International Sport Foundation (co-founder), Big Sisters BC Lower Mainland, Canucks Autism Network and a global champion for Peace with Peace and Sport.