The eRate 360 Team
The eRate 360 Compliance team stands ready to help you obtain your eligible E-rate funding with over 130 years of combined experience – both inside the E-rate process and in the telecommunications, computer and finance industries with technology icons such as AT&T, Lucent and Bell Labs.
Our Compliance Officers have an in-depth knowledge and insight of the E-rate program gained from working for the Schools and Libraries Division of USAC as Program Integrity Assurance reviewers, Selective reviewers and FCC audit support specialists. Our firm understands the end-to-end process from technology planning through form creation and review, and ultimately through the final stage of the process; with the receipt of your E-rate funds. We know how to work in past, present and future funding years and how to manage the complexities associated with a multi-year process. In addition, we go above and beyond the standard web-based tools and compliance services with our own system of checks and balances so that nothing “falls through the cracks”.
Our insights as former SLD employees provide a unique advantage to our clients, both through our knowledge of the E-rate system and understanding of the day-to-day review processes. Our compliance officers not only have an average of four years of E-rate experience, but also bring broad technical and management expertise.
STEVE TENZER
Vice President of Compliance
RICH LARSON
Senior Compliance Officer / Appeals Specialist
CARLOS ALVAREZ
Senior Compliance Officer / Selective Review Specialist
MATT HETMAN
Senior Compliance Officer
UMBERTO (BERT) GAROFANO
Senior Compliance Officer
E-rate Experience
- Steve has worked as a Senior Compliance Officer and Vice President of Compliance Services since entering the E-rate consulting profession in 2005.
- Steve began his E-rate experience with the Universal Service Administrative Company – Schools and Libraries Division in 2004 as a Program Integrity Assurance reviewer and as a Documentation Support Associate Manager reviewing applicant form 471’s for compliance and assisting the FCC with appeals and audits, respectively.
Professional Experience
- Steve retired from a 26 year career with AT&T in which he held various management positions in the International and domestic voice network and AT&T’s computer systems business.
Education
Queens College; BA – History
Interests
Golf, reading, international travel, and music
E-rate Experience
- Rich joined the E-Rate consulting industry in 2005 as a Senior Compliance Officer and Appeals Manager.
- Rich’s entry into the world of E-rate was with the Universal Service Administrative Company – Schools and Libraries Division where he received his E-rate training. At SLD, Rich prepared audit and appeal packages for USAC and FCC involving all aspects of E-rate forms and documentation and served as an applications reviewer.
Professional Experience
- Nineteen years as financial executive with the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE), including last ten years as CFO.
- For 13 years held increasingly responsible accounting and finance positions in several commercial corporations, ranging in size from small to Fortune 100.
Military Experience
- U.S. Army, Lieutenant in classified Army Security Agency. Company commander for six months. Supervised 40-person top secret operation for one year. Honorably discharged.
Education
University of Notre Dame; BBA in Accounting
Interests
Hiking with wife and dogs, reading science fiction, and the Yankees
E-rate Experience
- Carlos became an E-rate consultant in 2005. He has been serving as a Senior Compliance Officer and selective review specialist.
- Prior to becoming an E-rate consulting, Carlos worked for and was trained by the Universal Service Administrative Company – Schools and Libraries Division. At SLD,Carlos served as a Selective/Integrated Audits Associate Manager where he performed financial and technical eligibility audits on schools and Libraries. Carlos was responsible for the review and evaluation of applications from schools and Libraries in Puerto Rico due to his fluency in Spanish.
Professional Experience
- Carlos is an experienced technical professional with over 28 years experience with AT&T and Lucent Technologies. He has held various management and engineering positions in Operations, Engineering and International Services.
Education
Fairleigh Dickenson University; Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Engineering
George Washington University; Project Management Certificate
Interests
Travel, hiking, fish keeping, and computers
E-rate Experience
- Matt joined the ranks of E-rate consultant in early 2006. He serves as Senior Compliance Officer and draws on his vast background to perform as a network & technical specialist.
- Matt completed reviews/audits of applicants Form 471 applications as a Program Integrity Assurance (PIA) Reviewer for the Schools and Libraries Division (SLD) of the Universal Service Administrative Company – Schools and Libraries Division (USAC). Matt’s expertise in the computer hardware field became extremely useful in doing priority 2 reviews for Internal Connections (IC).
Professional Experience
- Served a 30 year career at Bell Labs in the capacity of lead engineer for such projects as Seismic Design of Bell System Telecommunications Equipment, Battery Stands, Storage Racks. Managed theY2K Compliance Team for multiple Bell Lab Organizations.
Education
Academy of Aeronautics in Mechanical Design; Associates Degree
MTS SP Education Program at Bell Laboratories:
- Computer Science Software Development Curriculum
- Structural Analysis Curriculum
- Computer Aided Design Curriculums both MCAD/ECAD
- Certifications nfor ANSYS, Mentor Graphics, ProE, Mc Auto, UNIX Administration, Sun Microsystems, HP and DEC Alpha
Interests
Astronomy, computers, bowling and touring the country side in his Z06 Corvette
E-rate Experience
- Bert has been an E-rate consultant since 2006. As both a Compliance Officer and Senior Compliance Officer, Bert has provided assistance to schools, libraries, consortiums and service providers in assuring their compliance with the program while maximizing their E-rate funding.
- Like the other compliance officers at eRate 360 Solutions, Bert was trained and worked at the Universal Service Administrative Company – Schools and Libraries Division prior to becoming a professional E-rate consultant. He spent one year evaluating the compliance of applicants and service providers who are seeking to participate in the E-rate program.
Professional Experience
- Bert spent 18 years with AT&T in post-sales support positions, project management, customer service and training in the areas of local and T1 services.
Education
Morris County College; Business Management
Interests
Bowling, tennis, martial arts, and music
E-rate Experience
- Al, who is fluent in Spanish, has been a professional E-rate consultant since December 2008. One of his primary responsibilities includes serving as the main point of contact between the client and the SLD reviewers (PIA and Selective) to insure the successful approval of their funding.
- Al has six years experience conducting Program Integrity Assurance reviews for the Universal Service Administrative Company – Schools and Libraries Division.
- Al was a senior Selective Reviewer of business protocol between Funding applicants and service providers along with analysis of applications for compliance of FCC rule and regulations.
Professional Experience
- Al’s background includes 15 years of Investment & Custodian Bank Operations in various areas serving large corporate clients such as Chase Bank, Mellon Bank and Fidelity Investments.
- His main experience was in the performance of daily transactions and reconciliations between trading and accounting systems for both domestic and global securities along with providing time tested client service.
Education
Syracuse University; Maxwell School of Citizenship; BA’s in Economics and Spanish Literature
Interests
Soccer, reading, running, his newborn daughter, and his bulldog Matilda