Axe falls on Nasa's Indian-origin DEI chief after attempt to hide her fails

Neela Rajendra, who used to be the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) officer at NASA's jet propulsion laboratory, has been fired. The firing follows NASA changing her designation to the "Head of Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success" in an apparent attempt to shield her from President Donald Trump's executive order targeting DEI initiatives.

Earlier in 2024, when almost 900 employees of NASA were laid off due to budgeting issues and its diversity office, Rajendra was allowed to keep her job. However, she was assigned a new designation.

"Neela Rajendra is no longer working at [the Jet Propulsion Laboratory]. We are incredibly grateful for the lasting impact she made to our organization. We wish her the very best," the Daily Mail quoted the Lab Director, Laurie Leshin, in an email she wrote to the staff on Thursday.

The email also said that the new DEI-lite Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success that Rajendra was set to run was being relocated under human resources.

The development followed NASA's move to end its diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEI) programs after all federal agencies were directed to "terminate" the initiatives in accordance with President Donald Trump's executive orders. Trump's order argued that "these programs divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination".

Since taking office on January 20, Trump has issued a series of executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in the public and private sectors.

Although Rajendra's title was changed to "Head of Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success", and all references to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from her profile were removed, she retained many of her original job duties, the Daily Mail reported.