A new director was named for the Long Island Sound partnership on Thursday, August 27. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin visited Port Jefferson, Long Island Thursday to announce the EPA has named Nicole (Nikki) Tachiki as the Director of the Long Island Sound Partnership (LIS Partnership). She has been serving as an acting director since June of last year.
The EPA, New York, and Connecticut formed the Long Island Sound Partnership in 1985, a bi-state partnership consisting of federal and state agencies, user groups, concerned organizations, and individuals dedicated to restoring and protecting the Sound. Last summer the group celebrated its 40th anniversary and signed its new 2025 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye last summer.
“Growing up on Long Island, I saw firsthand what the Sound means to the families and communities that depend on it. Protecting it has always been personal for me,” said EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin on Thursday. “In Nikki Tachiki, we’ve found exactly the right leader to build on our momentum, someone with proven experience across EPA’s water programs and a real understanding of what’s at stake. Under the Trump EPA, we will keep delivering cleaner water, a healthier environment, and stronger local economies.”
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Director of the Long Island Sound Partnership,” said Tachiki. “Together, we have an opportunity to build on strong momentum, advance restoration projects, and protect this vital resource for future generations. I look forward to collaborating with our partners to help turn our shared goals into lasting results.”
“We are delighted that Nikki Tachiki has been selected to lead the Long Island Sound Partnership moving forward. This is an inspired choice by EPA Administrator Zeldin and regional administrators Sanborn and Martucci, and we thank them for their continued commitment to the long-term stability of the Partnership,” said Denise Stranko, executive vice president of programs for Save the Sound and the co-chair of the Policy Committee of the Partnership’s Citizens Advisory Committee. “Nikki is thoughtful and thorough; she considers the full picture in her decision-making. She is a terrific choice to lead the Partnership toward achieving the goals of the 2025 Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan.”
Several recent and ongoing Save the Sound projects have received funding through the Long Island Sound Partnership, including the Unified Water Study. Now in its 10th season, the UWS monitors the ecological health of 52 bays and harbors around the margins of the Sound. Bay Grades based on the data collected during the 2025 monitoring season will be featured in the 2026 Long Island Sound Report Card, to be released in September.
Tachiki
Since 2019, Tachiki has served as the Strategic Planning Coordinator of the Long Island Sound Partnership with a focus on developing the organization’s Reports to Congress and leading the program through revisions of the Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan. She previously worked in the Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Section as a drinking water specialist in 2021 and as its Acting Section Supervisor in 2024. She served as a special assistant to the Regional Administrator in 2022.
Before joining the New York City office, Tachiki served as EPA Liaison to the Pacific Island Territories and the Los Angeles Regional Water Board, focusing on water quality. She also supported the National Estuary Programs and previously worked with the National Audubon Society and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. Tachiki received a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a master’s degree in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins University.
LIS Partnership
The Long Island Sound Partnership, formerly known as the Long Island Sound Study, was established in 1985. The partnership is among the first EPA National Estuary Programs. The Long Island Sound Partnership is a collaborative effort involving researchers, regulators, user groups, and other concerned organizations and individuals who work together to protect and improve the health of the Sound.
The EPA Long Island Sound Office coordinates the Long Island Sound Partnership Management Conference, creates a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, and ensures the CCMP goals for restoring and protecting Long Island Sound are accomplished. The goals of estuary programs restore environmental and economic health to areas around the country.
