Nicole Cairns, Assistant Director of the Wadsworth Center, was elected Chair of The NELAC Institute (TNI) Chemistry Expert Committee on January 7, 2026. TNI is a national, nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote the generation of environmental measurement data of known and documented quality through the development and maintenance of consensus standards. These standards are used to accredit environmental laboratories, accreditation bodies, and proficiency testing providers nationwide. Ms. Cairns’ election as Chair recognizes her technical expertise, leadership, and ability to build consensus among diverse stakeholders.
The TNI Chemistry Expert Committee is responsible for developing and maintaining the Quality Systems for Chemical Testing module of the TNI standards. Developing consensus-based chemical testing standards is both technically complex and diplomatically challenging.
Ms. Cairns brings more than 22 years of experience within the Wadsworth Center’s Division of Environmental Sciences and nearly 30 years of experience in environmental analysis, quality assurance, and proficiency testing. She has been an active member of TNI for over 15 years and has served on numerous committees and subcommittees, including the Quality Management Systems Expert Committee, the Proficiency Testing Program Executive Committee, and the Proficiency Testing Expert Committee, which she chaired from 2017 to 2020.
Currently, 17 Wadsworth Center staff members serve in various capacities within TNI. Continued engagement in TNI is critical to ensuring that national accreditation standards align with the regulatory and public health needs of New York State.