Neela Rajendra, the former Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Officer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), has lost her new position as head of the “Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success.”
This change comes after her title shift, which aimed to protect her following an executive order from former President Trump. The order ended DEI programmes across federal agencies.
The Washington Free Beacon first broke the news.
Rajendra avoided 2024 job cuts
In 2024, Rajendra escaped the layoffs that saw nearly 900 DEI staff members lose their jobs. NASA dissolved its diversity department after Trump’s executive order, but Rajendra’s role continued with a new title and many of the same responsibilities.
On 10th March, NASA announced Rajendra would lead the “Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success.” She would manage JPL’s affinity groups, such as the “Black Excellence Strategic Team.”
Rajendra updated her LinkedIn to reflect the new role, which she described as helping “unlock our potential to Dare Mighty Things TOGETHER.”
Rajendra’s contributions to NASA’s diversity
Rajendra played an important part in NASA’s diversity push. She helped drive the “Space Workforce 2030” pledge, aiming to increase the number of women and minorities in NASA’s workforce.
In a 2022 presentation, she said “extreme deadlines” often stood in the way of reaching inclusion goals.
Despite her significant role, NASA did not respond to The Post‘s request for comment on her removal.
