We were lucky to catch up with Leisa Minor recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Leisa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about growing your team – how did you recruit the first few people, what was the process like, how’d you go about training and if you were to start over today would you have done anything differently?

I took over the operations of the Atlanta office of Compudopt in April 2024 as Senior Director of Community Impact. Compudopt opened the doors of the Atlanta office in 2022. One of my tasks during the first 6 months was recruiting a team that shared the passion, excitement, and commitment that it would take to uphold our mission. I began recruiting individuals that had a footprint in the Atlanta community. During the interviewing process, the candidates needed to possess a certain vibe and synergy. Each candidate selected went through 3 rounds of interviewing to ensure we were making the right selections and to make sure that they were a fit for the brand that I was tasked at building. If your team doesn’t believe in your mission, the business will not be successful. Another task that I faced was getting the Compudopt brand out in the community. Even though the company had been in Atlanta for roughly 2 years, the brand was not as well known in the Atlanta nonprofit and tech world. I spent a tremendous amount of time out in the community pitching our mission. I also joined different organizations that would put me in the room with different nonprofit stakeholders and corporate partners.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I received my Network Engineering certification over 20 years ago and never imagined that it would come full circle to land me in an amazing position. I have worked in the nonprofit arena in Atlanta for over 25 years. Giving back and serving the community has always been a passion of mine. At Compudopt, our mission is to provide technology access and educational resources to under-resourced youth and communities. The goal is to empower these groups with the digital tools and skills essential for success in today’s world. Through donations, we supply refurbished computers at no cost and offer hands-on tech education, opening doors to opportunities that were previously inaccessible. Being able to provide our clients with access to digital devices is super important in this day and age. Without the devices, children can’t complete assignments, parents can’t look for employment or make doctor’s appointments, and families cannot connect to the world around them. The thing that sets us apart from others is the fact that Compudopt offers 2 years of free technical support for the devices that we distribute. If went can’t fix your problem with the device, we will switch it out for another one. Also, all of our Tech Education class participants receive 20-25 hours of tech education training. Each participant that completes the tech education program will receive a laptop at no cost. Our tech education programs serve grades 1-12, beginning with Tiny Techs for 1st and 2nd grades, Early Adapters for 3rd thru 5th, our STEAM program is grades 6th thru 8th, Learn2Earn is grades 9th thru 12th. We also offer Digital Literacy to senior citizens and a Pathway program for individuals ages 16-24.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

My advice to managing a team and maintaining high morale is to always celebrate the wins no matter how small. Treat people with respect and dignity. I always lead by example. There is never a task that I ask of my team that I wouldn’t do. I always make it a point to be hands on from Community Engagement to Programs, as well as Operations and Warehouse responsibilities. Trust is another big factor. My team has my back, and I have their back. we communicate like adults and work through any issues that may arise.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

There are several things that helped build our reputation within our market. Being transparent and honest is very high on the list. Providing the services that we say we will provide, giving great customer service, and the ability to resolve community members problems quickly and efficiently.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.compudopt.org
• Instagram: @compudoptatlanta
• Facebook: Compudopt Atlanta
• Linkedin: Compudopt
• Twitter: Compudopt

Image Credits

Photo credits-Zharia Minor