Following his ordination to the priesthood, His Eminence ministered in a range of pastoral and lecturing roles in Indiana, Chicago and San Francisco, as well as Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Upon his appointment as the Director of the Patriarch Athenagoras Orthodox Institute (PAOI) in 2007, he was named Metropolitan of the Dardanelles and a Hierarch of the Oecumenical Throne.
Archbishop Nikitas serves the Mother Church in Constantinople in numerous important areas including: Coordinator of the Patriarchal Task Force on Human Trafficking and Modern-day Slavery; Chairman of the Committee on Youth for the Oecumenical Patriarchate; and Co-Chair and Steering Committee member of the Elijah Inter-Faith Foundation. He has also received numerous commendations for his involvement and leadership in interfaith dialogue.
A gifted preacher and teacher, Archbishop Nikitas is fluent in English, Greek (Koine, Katharevousa, and Demotic), and Russian. He also has a working command of Latin, Church Slavonic, and Spanish.