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Macalester's Donnie Brooks receives prestigious NACDA AD of the Year Award

Donnie Brooks HOF 19
Brooks
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) has recognized Macalester College Associate Vice President for Student Affairs/Director of Athletics Donnie Brooks with the NACDA AD of the Year Award, the organization announced today. Brooks is one of 28 athletics directors across seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges), and one of four NCAA Division III athletics directors to receive the prestigious award.

Winners will be recognized in conjunction with the 61st Annual NACDA & Affiliates Convention at Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nev., at the beginning of the Association-Wide Featured Session on Tuesday, June 9, starting at 4 p.m.

The ADOY Award highlights the efforts of athletics directors at all levels for their commitment and positive contributions to student-athletes, campuses and their surrounding communities.

Since arriving at Macalester, Brooks has overseen steady competitive improvement across all 21 intercollegiate athletics programs. He helped Macalester begin fundraising initiatives for athletics 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.

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.

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.

A native of Houston, Texas and a graduate of Springfield (Mass.) College, Brooks served as an athletics administrator at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., before spending five years at Dartmouth College as the Assistant Director of Athletics for Peak Performance. After his time at Dartmouth, Brooks became the Director of Athletics at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., a position he held for two and a half years before coming to Macalester.

Click here to view NACDA's Athletics Director of the Year Awards release.