Dr. Toby Brooks

FIR since January 2025

Dr. Toby Brooks serves as the Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning at Baylor and as a Clinical Professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation. With a background in athletic training, sports medicine, and educational development, Dr. Brooks has over two decades of experience in higher education and professional, collegiate, and high school sports. A first-generation college student, he holds an AS from Southeastern Illinois College, a BS in Athletic Training from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, an MS and PhD in Teaching and Teacher Education/Physical Education from the University of Arizona, and an MBA in Data Analytics from Louisiana State University Shreveport. He is currently pursuing another MS in Exercise Physiology from Baylor.

As an athletic trainer and strength and conditioning specialist, he has worked with USA Baseball, the Las Vegas Raiders, the Southern Illinois Miners, and the Florida Firecats in professional sports as well as the University of Arizona, the University of Texas at El Paso, Liberty University, and Southern Illinois University Carbondale at the collegiate level. Brooks spent 14 years in Lubbock at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center before transitioning to Baylor in 2024. At TTUHSC, he served as Assistant Dean for Faculty Success, Program Director of the CAATE-accredited Master of Athletic Training program and was a Full Professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences.

His scholarly work encompasses all aspects of human performance and has expanded to include faculty mentorship, instructional excellence, and the ethical integration of emerging technologies, such as generative AI, in teaching and learning. A published author with more than 20 books and 30 peer-reviewed publications, a speaker at more than 100 international, national, and regional events, and host of two podcasts, including Becoming UnDone (global top 10 in Education and Self-Improvement) and The Professor’s Playbook, Brooks is passionate about helping individuals and institutions pursue purpose with strategic clarity and sustainable impact.

Dr. Brooks is joined in the Martin Hall Faculty-in-Residence role by his wife, Christi Brooks, a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate and former youth minister. They have two children: daughter Brynnan, a Texas Tech graduate, and son Taye, a sophomore at Lubbock Christian University. Deeply dedicated to the transformational power of the college residential environment, Dr. Brooks and his wife are passionate about student formation and community. “Christi and I are eager to be a visible, intentional presence within the Baylor and Martin Hall community. From mentoring conversations and program facilitation to shared meals and faith-based dialogue, we’re ready to create an environment where young men in Martin Hall are seen, known, and encouraged.”