Donnie Brooks was named the Director of Athletics at Macalester College in January of 2019. In May of 2024, he was promoted to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Director of Athletics.
Since arriving at Macalester, Brooks has overseen steady competitive improvement across all 21 intercollegiate athletics programs. Twelve student-athletes in track & field, swimming, cross country and tennis have qualified for NCAA national championships during his tenure, earning seven All-American honors and one national title. In the fall of 2025, the men’s soccer team won the MIAC Playoff championship and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. Macalester also has had 11 Academic All-Americans since 2019.
As Director of Athletics, Brooks helped Macalester begin fundraising initiatives to increase opportunities for student-athletes and provide coaches with the resources to enhance the student-athlete experience. These resources include access to a nutritionist and a fueling station in the Deno Fitness Center, increased hours of a staff of sports psychologists, and endowments for four programs and counting. Donor contributions also have initiated the renovation of Macalester’s locker room spaces for all sports.
In order to better support Macalester’s student-athletes and programs, Brooks has added administrative positions for student-athlete success and athletics communications. Full-time assistant coaches have been added for volleyball, track & field, softball and baseball.
Brooks also created Scots LEAD, a personal, professional and leadership development program for Macalester’s student-athletes. The additions and improvements made during Brooks’ tenure at Macalester all are inspired by the department’s core values of Community, Develop and Compete, which were chosen and defined by department staff under Brooks’ guidance. In 2024, Brooks co-chaired the mascot committee for Macalester’s new athletics identity, which yielded
Coo the Highland Cow.
Also active on a national level, Brooks has served on several committees. He was recently named to the Board of Directors of the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators, and is currently a member of the NCAA Division III Management Council. Brooks also has been a member of the Minority Opportunities in Athletics Association (MOAA) since 2011.
“This is an exciting time at Macalester Athletics,” Brooks said. “Over the past five-plus years, we have worked hard to transition our culture and enhance the way we recruit, develop and support our students. The changes we’ve made as a team have led to a more holistic approach to competitiveness in the MIAC as we look to bring that same approach to the national stage.”
Brooks began his career in athletics administration at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. He received a two-year position as a part of the NCAA Division III Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship grant in 2006 before being promoted to a faculty position in 2008. Brooks spent five years at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Peak Performance before serving as Director of Athletics at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., for two and a half years.
A native of Houston, Texas, Brooks attended Springfield (Mass.) College, where he was a member of the football team. He graduated in 2002 with a degree in Business Management, and later earned a Master’s degree in Sports Management from Springfield while working with the football team as a graduate assistant coach.
Brooks and his wife, Shevie, have three children: Alanna, Peyton and Emmanuel.
