AJ Brooks. Photo courtesy of Dallas United Crew.

Dallas United Crew, a rowing crew based at White Rock Lake, hired its first-ever executive director.

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Austin “A.J.” Brooks will start work Aug. 15. All DUC programs and coaches will report to him.

Brooks started rowing at Newport Aquatic Center and then competed for the University of Washington. While there, he was undefeated and won four Pac-12/Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championships; he also received the John H. and Luanne Isom Mills Endowed Crew Scholarship.

Recently, Brooks was a program director and rowing coach at the University of California, Irvine.

“With the skills that AJ is bringing combined with the current coaching talent that we have, DUC will be well-positioned for the next phase of growth,” the organization writes in a social media post.

Brooks fills the position as DUC celebrates its 20-year anniversary. The nonprofit, which draws athletes from East Dallas and Lake Highlands, started in 2002 with a single program for high-school students, and it now offers six programs serving youth and adults.

Earlier this year, DUC athletes finished in the top 10 at US Rowing’s Youth National Championships, which was held in Sarasota, Florida.