The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named Nicole “Nikki” Tachiki director of the Long Island Sound Partnership, where she will lead federal, state and local efforts to restore and protect the estuary.

Tachiki has served with the Long Island Sound Partnership since 2019, most recently as strategic planning coordinator. In that role, she helped develop the partnership’s Reports to Congress and led work on revisions to its Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP), which was signed in June 2025.

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the appointment during a visit to Long Island, where he met with stakeholders and highlighted restoration progress under the updated CCMP.

Tachiki previously worked in EPA’s Drinking Water and Groundwater Protection Section, including as acting section supervisor in 2024. She also served as a special assistant to the regional administrator and worked on water quality issues with EPA’s Pacific Island Territories and the Los Angeles Regional Water Board.

The Long Island Sound Partnership, established in 1985, coordinates research, regulatory and restoration efforts involving federal, state and local governments, as well as other stakeholders. The EPA-led program uses its CCMP to guide projects addressing the Sound’s environmental and economic health.