Neela Rajendra, the Indian-origin head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has been officially let go following a shift in federal policy under former President Donald Trump. The firing, confirmed by an internal email from JPL Director Laurie Leshin sent on April 10, 2025, came after Rajendra's role was redefined in an attempt to comply with Trump’s executive order banning DEI initiatives across federal agencies.

Rajendra had been a key figure in NASA’s efforts to promote diversity and inclusion at JPL. However, the executive order, titled “Restoring the Values of Individual Dignity, Hard Work, and Excellence,” which was signed earlier this year, prohibits the use of race, gender, or identity-based criteria in federal hiring and mandates the dismantling of what the Trump administration calls “radical DEI ideology.” Under this order, federal agencies are now required to adhere strictly to merit-based hiring principles, impacting the operations of DEI departments.

Despite initial efforts by JPL to retain Rajendra by reassigning her to a new role as the head of the Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success, the restructuring could not shield her from the consequences of the executive order. Although her title was changed to exclude any references to DEI, much of her responsibilities, including leading employee affinity groups like the Black Excellence Strategic Team (B.E.S.T.), remained the same. This rebranding attempt was viewed as insufficient by the Trump administration, leading to Rajendra’s eventual departure. An attempt to access her profile on NASA's official website now leads to a 404 Page Not Found error, confirming her removal from the organization.

Rajendra’s firing is part of a wider wave of scrutiny surrounding DEI initiatives in federal agencies, particularly at NASA, where the growing focus on diversity programs has clashed with the need for mission-critical operations. One key incident that escalated the scrutiny was a nine-month ordeal involving two NASA astronauts who were stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) due to a propulsion failure. Critics questioned whether NASA’s focus on DEI programs diverted resources and attention from such critical space missions. Ironically, it was SpaceX, a private company known for its lack of DEI focus, that successfully brought the astronauts back to Earth.

Although reports suggested that Rajendra had avoided the layoffs affecting around 900 JPL employees earlier this year amid NASA’s budget tightening, her eventual departure highlights the growing uncertainty surrounding DEI roles in federal agencies. The move to restructure and eliminate DEI positions follows the wider implications of Trump's order, which calls for dismantling DEI-related positions across federal agencies, irrespective of the titles these roles carry.

Rajendra’s dismissal underscores the tension between corporate diversity efforts and the current federal administration’s stance on merit-based employment, where diversity programs are increasingly being scrutinized for their alignment with the new directives. While the White House has emphasized the importance of adhering to merit-based principles in all federal hiring and promotion decisions, the DEI initiatives at NASA and other federal agencies are now under intense review.

As of now, both NASA and JPL have not issued public statements regarding Rajendra’s departure, leaving many questions unanswered about the future of diversity and inclusion efforts within the space agency. Rajendra, who previously criticized the “DEI-deficient” culture at SpaceX in 2022, now faces the very challenges she once pointed out in the private sector. The fallout from these developments may lead to further restructuring across other federal departments, with DEI positions and programs facing possible reductions or complete elimination.

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