Microsoft AI Product Manager Reflects on AAMU Experience, Career and Bulldog Connection

When Alabama A&M University takes the national stage in Atlanta for the 2026 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge, Brandon Gilmore expects Bulldog Nation to make its presence known. Gilmore, a 2013 AAMU graduate and president of the Metro Atlanta Alumni Chapter, will be among the Bulldogs filling Center Parc Stadium when Alabama A&M faces Howard University on Saturday, Aug. 29. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. Central (7:30 p.m. Eastern), with the game airing nationally on ABC.

For Gilmore, however, the weekend represents much more than football.

“This weekend is bigger than one football game to me,” he said. “As Alabama A&M continues to grow, Atlanta represents an incredibly important market for our alumni presence, brand visibility, student recruitment and long-term engagement.”

Gilmore and the Metro Atlanta Alumni Chapter are helping turn the occasion into what he calls a “Bulldogs Takeover Atlanta,” with a host of activities planned throughout the weekend. Events include a kickoff pep rally, the chapter’s 21st Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, Bulldogs at The Battery and HBCU Night at the Atlanta Braves game, along with game-day activities. The full Bulldogs Takeover Atlanta schedule, event details and registration information are available through the Metro Atlanta Alumni Chapter.

“Having AAMU on this kind of national stage in our city gives us an opportunity to showcase the university to people who may already know our name as well as people who may be experiencing Alabama A&M for the first time,” Gilmore said.

Atlanta has been home to Gilmore for more than 13 years, but his Bulldog story began on The Hill.

A Birmingham native whose extended family includes many Alabama State University alumni, Gilmore said he knew early that he wanted an HBCU experience. He also wanted a university with strong academic programs and opportunities to develop beyond the classroom. He found both at Alabama A&M.

“There was something special about The Hill from the moment I arrived,” Gilmore said. “The history, the culture, the sense of family, the pride beaming from both the administrative staff and the current student leaders was captivating.”

Gilmore earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering with a minor in computer science, but his AAMU education extended far beyond academics. He spent four of his five years in the Student Government Association, ultimately serving as SGA president. He also spent two years as a member of the AAMU Royal Court, served as vice president of the Honors Program and was a campus ambassador for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. His campus involvement also included the National Society of Black Engineers, M.A.N.U.P. and Ward Modeling Troop.

Among his most memorable experiences was helping start Every Sunny Wednesday in spring 2010, a campus tradition that gives students a break from academics to gather for food, music, student vendors and other activities throughout the year. As SGA president, he also saw Bulldog unity in action when AAMU participated in The Home Depot’s Retool Your School campaign for the first time and won.

But one of his most vivid memories came before those leadership milestones.

As an 18-year-old freshman and first-time voter, Gilmore cast his ballot on Nov. 4, 2008, the day Barack Obama was elected the nation’s first Black president.

“The energy on campus throughout Election Day was electric,” Gilmore recalled. “It was one of those moments where you knew you were experiencing history together.”

Gilmore also credits Carla Holloway, director of the Honors Program, and former AAMU President Andrew Hugine Jr. with having lasting impacts on his development.

He said Holloway encouraged students not only to excel academically, but also to lead, represent the University well and pursue opportunities beyond the classroom. His experience as SGA president gave him an opportunity to observe University leadership firsthand and learn how to navigate competing priorities while keeping a larger mission in focus.

“I didn’t know at the time how much those experiences would prepare me for the type of work and leadership roles I have today,” Gilmore said.

That preparation eventually helped propel him into a technology career that has taken him from AT&T to The Home Depot and, in 2021, to Microsoft.

Today, Gilmore works as a technical product manager focused on artificial intelligence and cloud-based software programs. His work has included large-scale AI platform programs, product development and technical initiatives supporting Microsoft’s Azure AI ecosystem.

Although that path may seem far removed from the civil engineering classrooms where his journey began, Gilmore sees a clear connection.

“AAMU prepared me to solve problems,” he said. “Civil engineering is rigorous, and it teaches you very quickly that complicated problems usually aren’t solved in one step.”

His computer science minor provided an additional technical foundation as his career moved deeper into software and artificial intelligence, while his campus leadership experiences taught him how to communicate, build consensus and manage competing priorities.

“In many ways, I was learning program and product management before I ever had those titles professionally,” he said.

Gilmore now brings those experiences back to the University through alumni leadership and service. In addition to serving as president of the Metro Atlanta Alumni Chapter, he serves on the board of directors of the Alabama A&M University Alumni Association Inc.

He views alumni involvement as something that extends well beyond Homecoming and the Magic City Classic. It also means supporting students, creating scholarship opportunities, recruiting and engaging alumni, strengthening AAMU’s brand and representing the university in communities where Bulldogs live and work.

That commitment reflects a principle Gilmore said guides much of his life: “Service Is Sovereignty.”

“AAMU gave me opportunities to lead long before corporate America ever gave me a title that said I was a leader,” he said. “I don’t take that for granted.”

For current students, Gilmore’s advice is to remain open to where their careers may take them, pursue internships early and learn to communicate as effectively as they master the technical aspects of their fields.

“Being technically strong can get you into the room, but the ability to explain an idea, influence people, build relationships and lead through ambiguity can change the trajectory of your career,” he said.

He also encourages students to tap into AAMU’s alumni network, seek mentors and pursue opportunities even when they are unsure whether they meet every qualification.

“Most importantly, don’t underestimate what you bring to the table because you came from an HBCU,” Gilmore said. “Walk into every room knowing that your AAMU education prepared you to be there and that you’re in the room because you’re qualified to be there.”

On Aug. 29, Gilmore’s commitment to AAMU will converge with the excitement surrounding the Bulldogs’ appearance on a national stage.

After the alumni events, preparations and anticipation, he is looking forward to a simpler moment: taking his seat inside Center Parc Stadium and seeing Bulldog Nation surrounding him.

“I’m looking forward to sitting in that stadium, looking around and seeing maroon and white everywhere,” Gilmore said. “I think that’s going to be one of those moments where you stop for a second and say, ‘Yeah … Bulldog Nation showed up and showed out in Atlanta.’”

Find game information and tickets for the 2026 Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge here.