Our Team
Foster Charles
Founder & CEO
As a child, Foster could be found taking apart anything electronic from a remote control to an entire television. He just had to know how everything worked. As he grew older, his friends and family relied on him for help fixing their computers and electronics, and so in 2006, Charles IT was born. Since then, Foster has devoted his time to assisting customers with all of their technology needs and creating a team of individuals who are dedicated and proud of the work that they do. Foster is also very active in the community of Middletown. He is a member of the executive committee of the Young Professionals’ Alliance and the Chairman of the Middletown Car Cruise. In his free time, Foster enjoys swimming and playing racquetball.
Kristina Charles
Service Operations Manager
Kristina is a graduate of the University of Connecticut with degrees in English and Education. She was a high school English teacher for three years before joining her husband as the Service Manager here at Charles IT. Kristina manages day-to-day operations and enjoys working with clients in making sure they are happy and satisfied with the level of service that Charles IT provides. She focuses much her time on organizing workflow, communicating with clients and technicians, and improving processes. She also enjoys maintaining our unique office culture by coordinating team-building events. In her spare time, Kristina loves to travel and spend time with her family, friends, and puppy Jax.
Aaron Bandzes
Team Lead / Project Manager
Aaron is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a degree in Industrial Technology specializing in Networking. He always knew from an early age that he had an interest in computers, and choosing IT as a major in college just seemed natural. Even now he always has to have to have the latest and greatest technology. Aaron is driven to constantly learn new things and remain on the cutting edge, and he loves working with Charles IT customers. His goal is to problem solve with customers and to convey computer concepts to them in a way that makes them understand and feel comfortable with technology. Aaron combines his talents of organization and multitasking along with his extensive knowledge of the IT industry to manage and implement all projects at Charles IT. When he is not in front of a computer screen, Aaron enjoys the outdoors either running or hiking and spending time with friends.
Chris Jacques
Network Administrator
Chris graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering. A Middletown native, Chris has loved computers since he first got one at the age of 7. Chris loves learning and working on a broad range of different systems including Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux, Android, and iOS. His career goal is to become a lead system administrator where he could design and configure entire systems and networks. He strives to provide excellent customer service and ensures all clients' technical needs have been met. In addition to technology, Chris is also a car enthusiast who enjoys working on his Subaru WRX STI. He is also an avid snowboarder and a die-hard Chicago Bears fan.
Dereck Jacques
Network Administrator
Dereck is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a degree in Computer Engineering. He is a 3cx Certified Engineer and Security + certified, and he has 7 years of experience working with Apple Computers. Dereck's expertise also includes effectively using technology to support education and learning. His career goal is to develop an expertise in network engineering, which he is able to actively pursue while working with Meraki and networking equipment here at Charles IT. Dereck, who grew up in Middletown, enjoys mountain biking, snowboarding, craft beer, and video games.?
Hayley Plas
Procurement Manager
Hayley joined the Charles IT team in December 2014 and works diligently to keep our office running and our customers and technicians happy. She is skilled at improving processes within Connectwise, our business management platform, and her favorite part of the day is organizing the daily schedule for our technicians. She is a graduate of Ithaca College with degrees in Television & Radio and Communication, Management & Design. She has lived in several different countries including The Netherlands and Mexico City and she is fluent in Dutch. In her spare time Hayley loves traveling, skiing, and spending time outdoors, as well as enjoying time with her dog, cat, and horse.
Isaiah Chamis
Network Administrator
Isaiah joined the Charles IT team in 2006 and has been a valued member ever since. Isaiah has always been interested in the latest technologies and gadgets. Even from a young age he would always be found after school tearing up old computers and installing the latest and greatest Microsoft products. In this digital age it was a natural decision to turn it into a career. His goal is to keep companies productive and moving forward through the implementation of the latest technologies. Isaiah is proficient in both Microsoft products as well as VMware, having experience with both companies’ latest products.
Joe Santaniello
Technical Service Coordinator
Joe joined the growing Charles IT team in early 2016 as our Technical Service Coordinator. Joe loves technology and his interests range from electronics and car audio to anything that connects to the internet. Joe served for 4 years active duty in the US Navy working in communications and later returned to his home in Middlesex County to work in retail for 18 years. Joe is very active in the Middletown community and you can usually find him volunteering in some way, shape or form. Joe lives in Cromwell with his wife Jamie and they enjoy spending time with their Jack Russell, Batman. When he's not volunteering or playing with the latest technology, Joe enjoys riding his must-see fully loaded Can-Am Spyder with an incredible sound system.
Leigh Scott
Service Coordinator
Born and raised in upstate New York, Leigh has an insatiable love for everything Fall. Being a football coach’s wife and a mom of a young, spirited son, life is quite hectic at times and most Saturdays during the season are usually spent on the field. Leigh has over 10 years of retail management and customer service experience, and most recently spent the last couple of years in the IT world. She absolutely loves to cook and feed people as her Italian heritage and large family have taught her to do!
Patrick Nolan
Network Administrator
Like many of our team members, Patrick has been working with computers from a very young age. When he was only thirteen, he almost gave his father a heart attack when he was found taking apart and reassembling their family’s computer. He has since gone on to receive a degree in Network Technology from Manchester Community College. His goals for the customers of Charles IT is to find the right solutions that best serve their needs. In his spare time, Patrick enjoys watching sports and spending time with friends and family.
Lucas Robertson
Network Operations Specialist
A programmer for over 15 years with expertise in many different programming languages, Lucas is a natural in his role as Lead Programmer on the Charles IT team. Lucas is particularly skilled in C, C++, and Python and well versed in all things Unix/Linux. He is crafty with databases, MySQL and Postgres in particular, and he is familiar with the server side of web frameworks with a strong preference for Django/Ruby on Rails. Some of Lucas’s accomplishments include building robots for which he wrote the embedded code in C and assembly that controlled them, contributions to a variety of open source projects including CEGUI and Wikipedia bots, and avidly contributing to Wikipedia articles. Since the day he was born, he would learn systems and their components by breaking and fixing everything around him. In his spare time, Lucas enjoys hiking the highest mountains, brewing beer, reading Wikipedia, and learning trivia facts.
Patty Alves
Finance Manager
Patty has many years of experience using accounting and scheduling software to streamline daily business operations. Besides taking numerous classes for web and graphic design, business practices and software applications, she also earned an Associate’s Degree in Fine Arts. Oil and watercolor paintings of animals and still-life are her favorites. When she is not crunching numbers, Patty spends time with family and friends and hangs out with her dogs, Buster and Augie.
Ray Lemoine
Network Administrator
Ray has always had a fascination with science and electronics since he was 10 years old. When he was in middle school he obtained his first PC from his uncle, and with his guidance learned the fundamentals of how computers function. By the time he reached high school, Ray's fascination became a passionate interest that drove him to find and fix all the PCs he could get his hands on. By the time he graduated high school in 2012, Ray owned and maintained over 10 computers, his own server, and had self-taught himself in all Windows operating systems since Windows 3.1. Through self-determination and natural mechanical inclination, he turned his passion into a career, obtaining real-life experience in several IT environments prior to coming to Charles IT. In his personal Life, Ray enjoys spending time with family and friends, is an avid Star Trek fan, and is a fan of the Boston Red Sox.
Richard Baron
Network Administrator
Rich is Network Administrator at Charles IT and he specializes in web development and network security. Active in web development since the age of 13 and always interested in the latest and greatest technology, Rich holds a degree in Networking and Security with a concentration in Computer Science from Roger Williams University. Rich is an expert in many areas of technology and a valued member of the Charles IT team. He excels when given a challenge and is always able to determine a great solution to any IT or web-related problem. In his free time, Rich enjoys swimming, working out, and reading about and discovering new technologies and software.
Tom Tetrault
Network Administrator
As the newest member of the Charles IT team, Tom fits right in with his loves of technology and BBQ. Born and raised in Middletown, Tom has always enjoyed working with computers. His favorite part of working here at Charles IT is that he is constantly learning new technology, and he loves interacting with customers and helping them with their IT needs. In an environment that is constantly changing and presenting new and exciting challenges, Tom is thriving as he meets new tasks head-on and learns cutting edge technology along the way. Tom is also actively furthering his education as he aspires toward his MCSA certification. In his spare time, Tom enjoys hockey and smoking BBQ.
Travis Anderson
Network Administrator
Travis graduated from Central Connecticut State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Networking Information Technology and a Master’s degree in Technology Management. His first interaction with computers came when he was just four years old and his father brought home a laptop from work. His love of all things Star Trek also fueled his interest in technology. Travis’ goal is to always provide top quality customer service to assist clients in performing the tasks they need to complete their own jobs. In his free time, Travis enjoys Amateur Radio as a licensed “HAM”, photography, traveling, and spending time away from computers working on his car, a modified Volkswagen Jetta GLI.
Wayne Curtiss
Team Lead / Project Manager
Wayne is a graduate of the University of Hartford with degrees in Interactive Information Technology and Management Information Systems. Wayne enjoys sharing his 11 years of IT experience to help businesses become more productive and profitable. He is also a Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP) and Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. Prior to joining Charles IT he led a Managed Services Practice and was tasked with leading projects involving Security and Auditing as well as Business Impact Assessments and Disaster Recovery Planning. In addition to Microsoft technologies, Wayne has in-depth experience working with offerings from Symantec, Dell, HP, Lenovo and IBM. In his free time Wayne enjoys traveling. He is also an avid baseball fan and has a goal to visit every existing Major League baseball park.
