Dr. Lisa Brooks came to Butler in 1994 as a member of the violin faculty. Prior to her appointment as Dean of the Jordan College of the Arts, she served as Chair of the School of Music and Director of the Graduate Music Program. She held previous faculty appointments at Baylor University, the University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire, Messiah College, and Dickinson College. Brooks received both a bachelor's and master's degree in violin performance from West Virginia University; her doctorate in violin performance is from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

As an orchestral musician, Dr. Brooks is currently principal second violinist of the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra, and a frequent substitute musician with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra on both violin and viola. She presents the pre-concert lectures for the Ensemble Music Society, and is a member of the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee of the International Council of Fine Arts Deans.

In 2013, Brooks received the inaugural Faculty Award for Distinguished Service and Leadership from Butler University, and in 2001, she received a Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis.