Summit Speakers & Topics

Get to know our Plenary Speakers

Mark Tedesco

Director, EPA Long Island Sound Office

Mark Tedesco is director of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's Long Island Sound Office. The office coordinates the Long Island Sound Study, administered by EPA as part of the National Estuary Program under the Clean Water Act. Mr. Tedesco is responsible for supporting implementation of a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan for Long Island Sound, being updated in 2025, in cooperation with federal, state, and local government, private organizations, and the public. Mr. Tedesco has worked for EPA for 38 years, 35 of which have been dedicated to Long Island Sound. He retires from federal service on April 4, 2025.

Mark will sit on the plenary panel and will present “What 40 Years of Science Tells Us”.

Adrienne Esposito

Executive Director, Citizens Campaign for the Environment

Adrienne is a co-founder and the Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. She works on local, state, regional and national environmental and public health protection campaigns. She leads diverse campaigns including protection of drinking and surface water, remediation of toxic plumes, stewardship of land and water, support for large scale renewable energy projects, fighting plastic pollution, waste reduction and more.  

Adrienne co-chairs the Long Island Sound Citizens Advisory Committee Policy Subcommittee and has organized annual Washington DC Education days for the LIS CAC members. She is widely considered an expert on environmental protection issues. Adrienne has received recognition for her work from the US EPA, NYLCV, ACE NY, Long Island University, NY Water and Environment Association and more. She has been recognized by the Long Island Business News, Long Island Press, and New York City and State as one the most influential leaders on environmental policy in New York.  She recently received the 2025 Sustainability Award from the Long Island Herald.  

Adrienne will sit on the plenary panel and present on “How State and Local Policies Protect Long Island Sound Waters”

Bill Lucey

Long Island Soundkeeper, Save the Sound

Raised in CT, Bill has fisheries degrees from the University of Vermont and Oregon State University. He served in Guatemala as a Peace Corps fisheries extensionist before moving to Alaska for 20 years where he worked as a federal biologist, commercial fisherman and municipal biologist. After 3 years with the University of Hawaii he returned to work for Save the Sound.

Bill will sit on the plenary panel and present on “How State and Local Policies Protect Long Island Sound Waters”

Nancy Seligson

New York Co-chair, Long Island Sound Study Citizens Advisory Committee

Nancy Seligson has been a leader in Long Island Sound advocacy for over 30 years. Ms. Seligson is currently the New York Co-chair of the Long Island Sound Study Citizens Advisory Committee.  She also co-chairs the Westchester Coalition for Clean Water. She is the past co-chair of the energy-focused nonprofit Sustainable Westchester, past president and board member of the nonprofit organization Save the Sound and is past chair of the Larchmont/Mamaroneck Coastal Zone Management Commission, the Westchester County Environmental Management Council, and the Westchester Chapter of the League of Conservation Voters.

Ms. Seligson was the Mamaroneck Town Supervisor for ten years beginning in 2011 and was a Councilwoman on the Town Board for the prior twelve years. She brought her interest in the environment to Town initiatives. She is also a past member of the Westchester County Board of Health.

Nancy studied and worked with Pace University’s Land Use Law Center’s Community Leadership Alliance programs teaching local leaders about New York State land use law and facilitation techniques to improve municipal communications, efficiency, and cooperation.

Ms. Seligson moved to the Larchmont/Mamaroneck community in 1998. She lives with her husband John Feingold and has a son and two stepdaughters. She graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in economics.

Nancy will sit on the plenary panel and will present “Where We Are Headed and How We Will Get There: 2025-2035”.

Holly Drinkuth

Director or River and Estuary Conservation, The Nature Conservancy

Holly has worked closely with partners and stakeholders in the northeast for over 20 years to help more people appreciate and protect the many benefits healthy lands and waters provide. Focusing on community and landscape connections, natural resource protection, conservation planning and science communication Holly helps identify solutions that tackle conservation challenges. In 2016, Holly was elected Connecticut co-chair of the EPA’s Long Island Sound Study Citizen’s Advisory Committee. In this role, she leads a coalition of 30 organizations advocating for adequate and equitable public funding and action to restore and protect a healthy and resilient Long Island Sound ecosystem.

Holly will sit on the plenary panel and will present “Where We Are Headed and How We Will Get There: 2025-2035”.

Maggie Cozens

Long Island Sound Study Outreach Coordinator, Connecticut Sea Grant

Maggie Cozens is the Long Island Sound Study outreach coordinator with Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn Extension. She works to increase appreciation, stewardship, awareness and understanding of Long Island Sound through the development of engaging and inclusive outreach and educational programming. She holds a Master of Science in Environmental Science from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, with a special focus on salt marsh and wetlands conservation.

Maggie will sit on the plenary panel and present on “Exploring the Land and People of the Long Island Sound Watershed”.

Lillit Genovesi

Long Island Sound Study Outreach Coordinator, New York City and Westchester County Sea Grant

Lillit Genovesi, New York Sea Grant/LISS Outreach for NYC and Westchester County - As a member of the Long Island Sound Study (LISS) team and co-chair of the Informed and Engaged Public (IEP) Work Group, Lillit focuses on enhancing public access, organizing professional learning opportunities, and leading stewardship events that connect marine science, conservation, and the community.

Lillit will sit on the plenary panel and present on “Exploring the Land and People of the Long Island Sound Watershed”.

Preview the Presentation Topics

What 40 Years of Science Tells Us

with Mark Tedesco

Presentation abstract to be announced.

Where We Are Headed and How We Will Get There: 2025-2035

with Nancy Seligson and Holly Drinkuth

A new 10-year plan for Long Island Sound is being finalized. It sets a course for collective effort to restore and care for a clean, healthy, and resilient Long Island Sound and its watershed and recognizes the importance engaging people that live throughout the watershed to accomplish our shared goals.

How State and Local Policies Protect Long Island Sound Waters

with Adrienne Esposito and Bill Lucey

Policy is a crucial tool for cleaning up pollution— from derelict lobster traps and sewage “right-to-know" laws, to PFAS and bottle bills. Both New York and Connecticut are leaders in policy for Long Island Sound, working across state lines to leverage each other’s successes and available funding to achieve lasting progress. Adrienne Esposito (NY) and Bill Lucey (CT) will review local and regional policies that help to protect and restore Long Island Sound and offer a seasoned, bi-state outlook and perspective of what is to come.

Exploring the Land and People of the Long Island Sound Watershed with a StoryMap.

with Maggie Cozens and Lillit Genovesi

The Long Island Sound Study and UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) recently published an in-depth StoryMap that explores the Long Island Sound Watershed. From the rural boreal forest of northern New Hampshire to the rocky beaches of Long Island’s northern coast and the diverse and densely populated boroughs of New York City, the LIS Watershed is home to more than 9 million people. This presentation will provide an overview of the story map, discussing its utility for municipalities, educators, conservationists, grant applicants and others working and living in the Long Island Sound Watershed.

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© 2025 Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed Network

Cover image: © Jerry Monkman