Empowering Schools Through Connectivity

Brock has been with ECTS as an account manager for over 7 years. He comes from a strong customer service background with over 30 years’ experience in retail management where the customer always comes first. His main objective is to make sure every school knows what they’re entitled for through the program and that they get it.

He enjoys building strong relationships with his clients both personally and professionally and wants them to know that he always has their back. One of Brock’s greatest strengths outside of customer service is keeping up on new developments within E-Rate and communicating them to his peers and clients. If there’s a way to get his schools more money he will find it. Specializing in Pennsylvania, he knows all the ins and outs of navigating the PA bidding rules and ensuring schools are compliant. His schools are very happy with his service and attention to detail, and he continues to build his client base through referrals and former clients who have moved to new areas. Brock is never finished until the client is happy.

Outside of work you will probably find Brock in an ice rink, on a lacrosse field or in a theatre. He has a total of 5 children with his wife of 24 years who all played sports, currently play sports or sing in choirs.

Nicole Nicoletti has been an account manager for the last 7 years. When Nicole came to ECTS she was bringing years of extensive experience in customer service, technology and facilities management from previous experience.

In her time here at ECTS, Nicole has really enjoyed the interactions with her clients. She wants to get to know her clients so she can provide a comfortable working relationship and provide specialized care for each school district she works with.

Nicole is always looking forward to helping all her clients to maximize their benefits from the E-Rate program.

Nicole is a mom of three, which requires excellent multi-tasking and time management skills, which has been a great asset to help her excel not only as a mom but in this job with her clients.

Brandon Zdunczyk has been an account manager here at ECTS since August 2018. He is responsible for over 100 schools with most of them in Maine and Wisconsin and then some throughout the US. He brings a meticulous approach when working with his clients, ensuring a smooth application process from start to finish.

He enjoys the internal structure of the company working directly with his specialist, Amanda, as a two-person team to secure funding for schools. He enjoys building strong relationships with his clients, having worked with many of them for a long time. He finds fulfillment in knowing that his work benefits not only school districts at large but, most importantly, individual students.

Outside of work, Brandon enjoys spending time with his wife, going to the park with his dog Rocky, watching football and basketball, going to the gym, and getting together with his friends and family including his five nephews.

“Auburn School Department has utilized the services of The Education Consortium for many years. They have done a fabulous job in helping us navigate the cumbersome E-Rate process and maximize our available funding.” – B.M; Auburn SD; Maine

Kate joined ECTS in 2021 as an Account Manager. She holds a degree in Communications from Temple University and has 20+ years of experience in project management, client support, and marketing. Kate has a varied client list and handles not just schools, but libraries as well. She enjoys the creative problem-solving and planning aspects of the E-Rate process, and loves building relationships with her clients. Kate is paired with Amanda Ashton as her account specialist, and their complementary skill sets ensure second-to-none service across the entire funding process.

Whether it’s connecting via video call or meeting clients at conferences, Kate is dedicated to being an “extension” of the team to each of her clients. Her contacts comment on how unusually knowledgeable she is, able to speak the “tech talk” fluently. She is routinely referred to others because of her knowledgeability, thoroughness, and personability. Kate’s clients are spread across the United States, and cover the spectrum of type, size, and demographic. Because of this, Kate is the “jack-of-all-trades” on the team, which suits her love of learning.

Kate was brought into the ECTS family with a long-term plan: to train under manager Bob Beck so that she could take over his clients upon his retirement. Some of Bob’s clients have been with our company for decades. Kate enjoys following in Bob’s footsteps by serving as not just an account manager, but as a source of institutional knowledge for these clients and for her many new ones. She looks forward to creating her own legacy of service here at ECTS; in her spare time, Kate likes to stay busy. She enjoys learning, reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with her four children and her extended family.

Zoila Breeden is our bilingual Account Manager at ECTS. Zoila has spent the last year ensuring that every client hits their annual deadlines and secures their deserved school refunds. Her blend of enthusiasm, problem-solving prowess, and genuine joy makes her the go-to partner for districts navigating the E-Rate program.

As an Account Manager, Zoila’s mission is simple yet vital: keeping her clients on track to meet all E-Rate filing deadlines each year. She thrives under pressure and welcomes complex challenges with a proactive mindset that spots issues before they arise.

Her preferred meeting style is via Teams video call, where she shares insights into the E-Rate program and scouts out ways to help schools save more. You’ll also find her representing ECTS at trade shows and industry events, eager to connect and teach others about E-Rate best practices.

Zoila holds a degree in Business Administration from BCCC and brings 15 years of broad experience, including customer service excellence, medical industry operations, and marketing administration. This diverse background equips her to understand varied client needs and translate them into streamlined, successful E-Rate strategies.

Zoila balances her professional dedication with a rich family life. Married for 21 years, she is also a proud mom and an avid Philadelphia Eagles fan.

Sandy was hired by the founder, Michael Raymond Sr., 21 years ago. She came on as an account specialist and has had the opportunity to work in different parts of the business, working her way up to the position Office Manager. She is responsible for billing and managing the day-to-day operations of ECTS and the team members.

Sandy’s longevity at ECTS allows her to be very knowledgeable about the business. She holds a wealth of information and resources for the account managers and specialists. She is organized, disciplined and great at supporting our account specialists in every step of the E-Rate process. She enjoys maintaining a good relationship with our schools and libraries and seeing how they benefit from the funds we have secured them.

Outside of work Sandy is running around getting birthday cakes and decorations as she recognizes each team member’s birthday and celebrates them at the office. She is also active in her church and enjoys spending time with her family and friends.

Amanda Ashton has been an account specialist with ECTS since July 2021. She is the specialist for two of our account managers, Brandon and Kate, overseeing reimbursement for more than 200 schools all over the country. Her primary responsibility is to handle all aspects related to the funding reimbursement process. She acts as the liaison between USAC and her clients ensuring that projects are completed in full while adhering to mandated deadlines.

Amanda came to ECTS with a love and compassion for people and organization. Those two traits combined with the relationships she’s cultivated with her account managers has been a recipe for success. Her clients appreciate that she is easily accessible, thorough, and has a quick response time when addressing any needs they may have.

Amanda has a Bachelor’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. When she is not working, she enjoys being with friends and family. You may catch her walking her dogs, going to the movies, exercising, building Legos, listening to music, traveling, and studying history and culture.

After working in Human Resources and Accounts Payable for most of her career, Denise started working at ECTS in 2017. Learning the E-Rate process was new to her, but she took to it quickly and found satisfaction in knowing that her efforts were helping others.

Denise has been married 49+ years to her husband Rich, and has been blessed with two now-grown children, Danielle and Stephen as well as five grandchildren: Jamison, Cecilia, Evaline, Addilyn and Carter.

Family means everything to Denise and she loves the family atmosphere at ECTS because “everyone here cares about each other and works together like a TEAM”.

Michael Raymond, son of ECTS founder Mike Raymond, is a former youth pastor and served in the church for many years prior to starting a career in sales. His sales experience in consumer goods gave him a love for customer service, which helped him transition into the food franchising industry.

He spent 16 years running and owning restaurant franchises in North Carolina before taking over the family business in 2021.

Michael leans on his work experience as he leads ECTS and credits his knowledgeable employees for not only making the company successful, but for helping it feel like a family.

Michael is married to Heather, and they have two amazing children, Elliana and Elijah. He coaches both Middle School and High School Varsity soccer and if he is not coaching, he is on the sideline cheering on both of his kids who play competitive soccer.