Meet the Team

Des Brown is the Owner, Founder, Lead Instructor, and visionary for WePickle. He received his instructor certification through the International Pickleball Teaching Professional Association (IPTPA) and is the most sought-after pickleball instructor in the Atlanta area.

Born and raised in Charleston, SC, Des is a college football alumnus of Johnson C. Smith University. He was introduced to pickleball by a friend and, fueled by his love for the game, founded WePickle in Charleston in 2021 to bring the sport to youth, seniors, minorities, and underserved communities. He has provided afterschool pickleball enrichment programming to more than 22 public and private schools, as well as to homeschooled children, recreation center programs, and youthful offenders housed in detention centers in the Charleston area.

In 2024, Des relocated to Atlanta, Georgia to expand WePickle's reach. Under his leadership, WePickle currently serves eight schools in the Atlanta area and is approved to provide afterschool pickleball enrichment programming to all schools within the Fulton County school system. He has also spearheaded programming for youth and seniors at recreation centers in Riverdale, Douglasville, and Marietta, Georgia. Des' specialty is his ability to connect with youth of all ages through creative and engaging pickleball programming that empowers children to play, grow, and thrive — both on the court and in the classroom.

Des is the visionary and founder of the Melanin Pickleball League, which launches its inaugural season in 2026 and is positioned to expand to every major city in the United States. He also created WePickle Playcations, which provides players with one-of-a-kind vacation pickleball experiences. Des has captained competitive tournament series between Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte, and Chicago. His belief: pickleball can connect people and communities unlike any other sport.