Rate My Professor Brandon Shah

Lt. Col. Brandon A. Shah served as Professor of Military Science and chair of the Department of Military Science in the Strome College of Business at Old Dominion University. A native of Virginia and proud ODU alumnus, he earned a Bachelor of Science in Sociology with a Military Leadership minor from the university in 2007 and was commissioned as an Army officer through its ROTC program. Shah enlisted in the Army in 2003 as an Aviation Operations Specialist, attaining the rank of Sergeant before transitioning to officer status. His military service included deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom, and a rotation to Atlantic Resolve. He earned Army Aviation Senior Aviator wings, accumulated more than 1,200 flight hours across three aircraft with the AH-64E Apache as his primary platform, and logged over 600 combat flight hours. Shah held command positions exceeding 36 months, including with A/1-3 Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, A/3-17 Air Cavalry Squadron, and B/603 Aviation Support Battalion, and served in units such as the 101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division, XVII Airborne Corps, United States Forces-Iraq, and 3rd Infantry Division. His final active-duty role was Brigade S3 in the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade at Hunter Army Airfield. He also completed an MBA from the University of Georgia and an MS in Project Management from the University of Kansas.

Shah returned to Old Dominion University in 2022 to lead the Army ROTC Monarch Battalion as Professor of Military Science. In this capacity, he oversaw significant enrollment growth, reinstated traditional ROTC activities such as rappelling exercises and cannon firings at university events, and positioned cadets as active campus ambassadors. He contributed to the establishment of the Military Alumni Chapter of the Old Dominion University Alumni Association and was recognized in the association’s 40 Under 40 class in 2023. Colleagues and cadets noted his commitment to mentorship, straightforward guidance, and preparation of students for military service. Shah was fatally wounded on March 12, 2026, while protecting students during a classroom incident at the university.

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