Allison Katarski never had it in mind to lead a nonprofit organization.
Having worked at the YMCAs in Chicago and Atlanta, she was asked about seven years ago to volunteer for Compudopt, a Houston-based organization that connects people in need with devices, Internet connectivity and technical education.
She ended up never leaving, signing on to serve as Compudopt’s COO. After CEO Megan Steckly announced earlier this year she was leaving, Katarski decided she was ready to take the next step, and she was named the new CEO earlier this summer.
“Wanting this job had everything to do with continuing to serve this mission,” she said. “Technology is like water or electricity at this point. It’s everywhere.”
Katarski said she quickly fell in love with Compudopt’s mission of providing technology access and education. Founded in 2007, the organization had one location and regional reach in the Houston area when her tenure began. She and other leaders saw the need elsewhere and have helped Compudopt expand to five physical locations that have helped serve more than 120 cities nationwide, buoyed by a staff of about 100.
Those five sites all perform refurbishments on items that are donated to the organization, which accepts them through its ITAD+ program; Compudopt also occasionally buys refurbished items from third-party vendors if supplies are low. The expansion was needed after Compudopt outgrew its headquarters in Houston, thanks in part to the push by leadership to unearth more funding and partnerships to improve the agency’s reach; Compudopt processed nearly 38,000 devices last year, equaling about 224,000 pounds of e-scrap.
Katarski said that the drive to help more people provides perpetual motivation.
“We were able to serve individuals where they are and provide such a needed resource,” she said. “No other organization does what we do. Being able to put a piece of tech into a kid’s hands and say it’s yours and you never have to give it back — it’s empowering.”
Compudopt employees have felt quite empowered of late. The organization distributed more than 41,000 free computers last year while connecting more than 10,000 houses to free or low-cost Internet and providing more than 4,500 students with educational programming.
Corporate relationships have helped expand the organization’s reach. An expanded collaboration with AT&T helps fund numerous laptop donations. And a three-year partnership with Mission Telecom will provide devices and Internet access to 30,000 households. The organization also steps up during natural disasters, such as when it distributed free computers to those impacted by flooding in 2025 in Kerr County, Texas.
Katarski said one of her proudest accomplishments as COO was hastening Compudopt’s ability to pivot when needed. Once funding is secured, the organization can now begin serving a city or region within six weeks, a process that took much longer in previous years.
“We have really gotten good at being able to respond quickly,” she said. “Covid required us to respond super-quickly. We couldn’t wait.”
Katarski can’t wait to help Compudopt take its next step. The organization never stops looking for financial and distribution opportunities, she said, using money from the Internet service it provides and refurbished items it sells on eBay to fill in funding gaps. That’s part of an overall self-sustainability initiative she wants to put in place, while also growing the ITAD+ program and incorporating AI training into the educational curriculum.
What lies ahead may not be entirely known, but Katarski said her goal is to get Compudopt to help address anything that’s coming.
“We have always been an opportunistic organization. We will start with yes and try to figure out. It won’t always end with yes, but that’s what we work toward,” she said. “We want to make sure we are getting as much as we can back out into the community because there is such a huge need, and we’re keeping items out of the landfills.”
