Comp-U-Dopt Announces New Board Members, Five-Year Strategic Goals

Non-profit focuses on a national expansion after distributing thousands of laptops to families without home computer access

HOUSTON — Dec. 9. 2020 — Comp-U-Dopt, a non-profit driven by the belief that every child deserves equal access to education and opportunity, is announcing changes to its board of directors and a strategic vision for the next five years. Effective immediately, Varun Babbili, Curtis A. Morgan, and Laurie Tuzo will join the Comp-U-Dopt national board of directors. 

“Comp-U-Dopt is very excited to be adding new members to our board of directors as we expand nationally. Each member brings a wealth of experience in strategy and growth, as well as a passionate commitment to contribute meaningfully to work that improves our communities,” said Comp-U-Dopt CEO Megan Steckly.

Steckly continued, “As we move forward as an organization, Comp-U-Dopt is laser-focused on expanding our reach beyond the 10 cities in which we currently operate. To ensure all students have access to the tools they need to be successful, we are targeting regions of the United States that lack a sustainable solution to the digital divide. Additionally, Comp-U-Dopt would like to broaden our offering of programming for youth aged 16-24 who are not in school or employed, offering this group a pathway to college or training in IT essentials. Over the next five years, we also aim to evolve our laptop distribution and programming model to include service to rural communities, leading to brighter futures and opportunities outside our city centers.” 

About Comp-U-Dopt’s New Board Members

Varun Babbili 

Varun Babbili is a principal of White Deer Energy, a private equity firm that invests in the energy, industrials, and infrastructure sectors. Over his career, Mr. Babbili has invested in and sat on the boards of numerous companies, helping those companies execute strategic growth initiatives. Mr. Babbili brings a vast national network along with an entrepreneurial approach that will help Comp-U-Dopt in its next phase of growth. 

Mr. Babbili has long held a passion for helping underserved communities and shares the belief that a critical solution in bridging the socioeconomic gap lies in providing equal access to education.

Curtis A. “Curt” Morgan

Since 2016, Curt Morgan has served as chief executive officer of Vistra, a leading Fortune 275 integrated retail electricity and competitive power generation company. His 37-year career spans nearly the entire spectrum of the energy complex across all competitive energy markets. Mr. Morgan has more than 15 years in CEO roles at Vistra, EquiPower Resources, and FirstLight Power Resources. He has also held leadership positions at Energy Capital Partners, NRG Energy, Mirant Corporation, Reliant Energy, and BP Amoco. Mr. Morgan serves on the board of directors and is currently chairman of the Electric Power Supply Association, the competitive power generation industry organization, and previously served on the boards of Summit Midstream and Prevent Child Abuse Georgia.

Mr. Morgan believes companies like his have an obligation to be part of the diversity, equity, and inclusion solution. A product of an educator family, Mr. Morgan was taught at an early age the life-changing impacts of a good education and believes it is crucial to bridging the divide in our communities. He believes in the mission of Comp-U-Dopt that all students deserve to be equipped with the technological tools they need to be successful.  

Laurie Tuzo

Laurie Tuzo has spent over 30 years as a global corporate banker, most recently as a managing director and senior relationship executive with JP Morgan in Houston. A career relationship banker with functional expertise in corporate finance, Ms. Tuzo has worked with senior executives across diverse industry sectors and geographies to develop and implement global financing solutions in support of strategic initiatives. Ms. Tuzo has also led business transformation and growth in leadership roles for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (“CBA”), as the senior executive for the North American business, based in New York and, also in New York, as co-head of diversified industrials for ABN AMRO’s Wholesale bank in North America. Ms. Tuzo retired from the banking industry in April 2020 to redirect her career to board service for both non-profit enterprises and for-profit corporations. Ms. Tuzo served as a director and member of the finance committee for the American Australian Association in conjunction with her role as U.S. country head at CBA.

With a fundamental belief that education and computer literacy are critical to success in today’s world, Ms. Tuzo joins the board with passion and enthusiasm for the Comp-U-Dopt mission to provide access to technology and education to underserved youth and to narrow the digital divide.