Toby Brooks, PhD, MBA, ATC, CSCS

Dr. Toby Brooks serves as the Director of the Academy for Teaching and Learning at Baylor and as a Full Clinical Professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation. With a background in athletic training, sports medicine, and educational development, Brooks brings more than two decades of experience in higher education and professional, college, 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. At TTUHSC, he served as Assistant Dean for Faculty Success, Program Director of the CAATE-accredited Masters of Athletic Training Program, and was a Full Professor in Department of Rehabilitation Sciences. 

His scholarly work centers on 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.

A native of Golconda, Illinois, he and his wife Christi reside in Hewitt. Their daughter Brynnan is a graduate of Texas Tech and their son Taye is a sophomore at Lubbock Christian University.