Today we’d like to introduce you to Brandon Pete.
Hi Brandon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born on January 3, 1990 in Lake Charles, LA and moved to Houston, TX at the age of one. I stayed on the Southwest side until the age of six while attending Saint Agnes Christian Academy in South Acres neighborhood. I completed all of my grade school years in Katy/Cypress, TX. I attended Cypress Springs High School where I played on the nationally and state-wide ranked varsity basketball team for two years. I went off to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, TX where I obtained my bachelor’s degree in Health Education.
While at SHSU I pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. through the Theta Mu chapter. I also joined the Exceptional Men of The Talented Tenth Inc. organization which taught me to become more business savvy. I became a senator in the Student Government Association and severed as an Election Commissioner one year. I became a proud Lifetime Member of the SHSU Alumni Association and Black Alumni & Friends Network in 2015.
I taught at Harmony Public Charter Schools in Houston, TX after graduation. Around the same time, I co-founded a community outreach 501c3 called New Perspective Development with a few friends from college. The visionary was one of my best friends named Quentin “Que Wayne” Thompson Jr. who passed away in 2022. I started my Masters of Health Administration program at LSUS in 2016 to pursue a goal of becoming an executive for a healthcare organization. While in the program I joined ACHE (American College of Healthcare Executives) and NAHSE (National Association of Health Service Executives) professional organizations. I started working under the office of City Councilwoman Amanda K. Edwards in 2017. She appointed me the chairperson of her Gentrification Task Force. I became a Master Mason in my masonic lodge March 3, 2018 and graduated with my MHA degree in December 2018.
In 2019, I was hired by Cerner Corporation, a top two healthcare technology company which was acquired by Oracle three years later. I moved to Kansas City, Missouri and began my current career in Health IT on April 25th. I received two promotions within the first year. I was a novice to the information technology side, but I became a fast learner as a project manager. I consulted small clinics to large health systems from California to Washington D.C. One of the greatest experiences I’ve had was the opportunity to work in the country of Bermuda to optimize their electronic health record system.
In 2024, I took a $40k salary increase to leave Oracle and help manage the IT department of Baptist Health of Central Alabama. I also acted in an independent film entitled “Leaf Life” that’s currently available on Tubi and Amazon Prime. It was executive produced by one of my Stogies & Bowties Cigar Group brothers, Gabe Carey. That same year I received my 32nd degree in the Ancient & Accepted Scottish Rite Freemasonry. I moved to Montgomery, Alabama in January 2025 to begin my new career journey. In September 2025, I became a member of the Ancient Arabic Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. Then, I was approved to work remotely and moved back to Houston, TX in January 2026. While at Baptist Health I’ve had the opportunity to open new clinics, implement new software applications and technology devices, and chair a committee that create initiatives to improve the culture of our department.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth throughout my journey. I’ve endured the death of loved ones that left me feeling survivors remorse. I’ve made mistakes that led me to being locked up in jail twice. I’ve burned through tens of thousands of dollars before becoming financially literate. I’ve allowed fear to deter me from making decisions that could’ve put me further along during my undergraduate years. Yet, by the grace of God I have overcome and conquered every obstacle that was set in my path along the way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m currently a Health IT Project Manager for Baptist Health of Central Alabama health system. I manage varies projects from department specific to enterprise-wide technology transformations. I am most proud that I was able to maneuver my way up the corporate ladder so quickly. I sacrificed while being underpaid for the first five years of my career, to learn a new industry. I’ve had the equivalent of a $10k salary increase every year of my career so far. What sets me apart from others is that I’m willing to sacrifice the now for my future. I’m very competitive and tap into my “Mamba Mentality” when my mind is set.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
I was raised as an only child growing up. My parents were both young compared to most of my friend’s parents. My father is the baby of six siblings and my mother is the baby of nine siblings. I was born into a creole family where both sides were originally from southwest Louisiana. My parents had me going to church routinely as a young child. I fell in love with learning different stories from the Bible. I’m grateful to have been grounded in a foundational faith early on.
My parents instilled an unmatched work ethic in me at a early age. As an only child, I had to mow the front and backyard every week. I had to clean upstairs and downstairs by myself. I had to do everyone’s laundry. I had to wash everyone’s dishes and clean the kitchen every night before going to bed. I had to do my homework before going outside to play with friends. During the summer months I still had to get up by nine o’clock in the morning. My father would assign me reading and writing tasks, that were sometimes worse than what my teachers gave me. I thanked my parents when I got to college for preparing me for the real world.
I loved playing video games and with my action figures. My mother made sure my house was the hub where all of my friends came to visit. We would spend hours everyday during the summer playing franchise mode and dynasty mode on Madden and NCAA Football games. I always wanted to play the role of president of operations or coach/recruiter. I’ve always enjoyed helping others reach their potential.
I was an honor roll student throughout grade school. My parents wanted to make sure I developed social skills so they put me in little league baseball, basketball, and football. As I got to middle school, I played the trumpet and French horn in band. In High School I participated in Theater Arts. I was always one of the most popular students in every school I attended from elementary through college. I was known as a “ladies man” during my childhood. I was definitely a natural leader amongst my peers.
However, I did conceal a lot of the negative things I was exposed to and participated in as a child. I started smoking weed at the age of 10 with my cousins and started selling it at 11 years old. I was introduced to sipping lean cough syrup recreationally at the age of 12. I knew that I was doing wrong and never encouraged anyone else to partake. By the time I made it to 8th grade I stopped all of it. I became focused on basketball and wanted to be as healthy as possible for the remainder of grade school.
During the summer of 2004, I was invited to play in a Nike basketball tournament in Europe. I was able to visit Paris, Germany, and Switzerland. We were able to play against teams from other countries. I participated in a community service project in Paris. I visited the Eiffel Tower. In Switzerland, I spent my free time touring and sightseeing. One of my memorable moments was having a long conversation in a subway station with African migrant twin sisters about the history of Switzerland. Just so happens, Busta Rhymes was having a concert in the Subway as well. My parents supporting opportunities like this allowed me to grow into a sophisticated adult.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @Voyages_Homme
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/bjpete
