About
Michele Young-Crook, an Algonquin of mixed heritage from the Niijkwiwisans & Antoine Family. Her 20-year legacy has been dedicated to corporations and nonprofits. Her focus lies in governance, project management, planning, and transparency, a skillset honed as the transformative former CEO & President of the National Aboriginal Trust Officers Association. Under her leadership, she launched the Trustee Accreditation Programs, helmed the Annual Trust and Investment event, and cultivated Indigenous Womxn & Youth Programs. She spearheaded exponential growth in the organization’s revenue and programming during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, as Vice President of Bears’ Lair TV, Michele infuses her exceptional abilities in defining organizational mission, vision, values, and strategic business planning into the heart of the reality TV show. She leads the contestant selection process, establishes investment criteria, negotiates deals, and assesses potential returns. Michele also contributes to shaping the show’s format and overseeing its production. Moreover, she collaborates with marketing and PR teams to maximize audience engagement and viewership.
Michele’s commitment to young entrepreneurs is evident in her active role in the upcoming inaugural Indigenous Youth Entrepreneur Forum & Job Fair in October 2023, a collaboration with AFOA BC & Bears’ Lair TV. The program is a celebration of Indigenous entrepreneurs’ diversity and strengths and serves as a testament to the broad-ranging social and economic benefits of successful Indigenous enterprises.
Beyond her professional roles, Michele’s multifaceted identity shines as an entrepreneur, comedian, reiki master, and author. She’s a dedicated social advocate, serving on the Board of the Canadian Juries Commission, Director of the Come Back Society, Director for the Indigenous Women in Business Board, Human Rights Watch dinner committee member, and creating the Indigenous Women’s Holiday Market, a vibrant community of over 95,000 members.
Key Services
GOVERNANCE & POLICY DEVELOPMENT
KEYNOTE & MC
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
DIGITAL MEDIA DEVELOPMENT
I have known and collaborated with Michele Young-Crook for over 15 years and we have partnered on multiple projects successfully over this time. Michele’s engagement, commitment and passion are laudable. In my experience, Michele always delivers on what she promises and consistently provides high quality solutions orientated outputs. It is always a pleasure to work together.
Michele donated her expert knowledge and professional creativity skills towards a non-profit initiative aimed at enhancing public safety in an Indigenous community. Michele’s results were eye catching, culturally appropriate and a beautiful representation of the community that will utilize the new initiative. I look forward to future professional collaborations with Michele as she continues to advocate and show relentless commitment for our Indigenous children, youth, women, people and communities throughout Canada.
Michele has been working in partnership with WEKH for about two years and we have had a wonderful experience with her. We have been able to host her as both a facilitator and a speaker at a number of events and she always brings a very personable, energizing presence to the virtual space. We look forward to our continued work together!
Michele created financial planning resources to enable more youth to consider diverse employment opportunities within Canada and abroad. Michele’s resilience, kindness and intercultural intelligence are some of the foundational building blocks that make her successful
Michele took the time to understand our business and was able to work with us on our digital marketing efforts. She did a fantastic job, and she delivered beyond our expectations.
