NASA removed DEI chief Neela Rajendra after Trump’s executive order banned diversity initiatives in federal agencies. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) rebranding attempt failed.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has officially parted ways with Neela Rajendra, its Indian-origin head of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), despite earlier efforts to retain her by altering her title following the shutdown of the lab’s DEI department in March. The move comes in the wake of an executive order from President Donald Trump that bans DEI initiatives across executive branch agencies. According to an internal email sent by JPL Director Laurie Leshin last Thursday, Rajendra “is no longer working” at the facility. The email, cited by the Washington Free Beacon, praised her contributions but confirmed the transition. “We are incredibly grateful for the lasting impact she made to our organization. We wish her the very best,” it read.
Title change couldn’t save DEI role
In March, the lab attempted to retain Rajendra by reassigning her to lead the newly created Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success—rebranded to exclude any references to DEI. However, much of her responsibilities, including overseeing employee affinity groups such as the Black Excellence Strategic Team (B.E.S.T.), reportedly remained the same. This quiet workaround did not satisfy compliance with the Trump administration’s mandate, leading to her eventual exit.
Attempts to access Rajendra’s profile on NASA’s official website now return a “404 Page not found” error, indicating her removal from JPL’s organizational directory.
Context: DEI scrutiny and budget cuts
Neela Rajendra’s exit follows months of growing scrutiny over NASA’s DEI initiatives, especially after a separate controversy involving two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station for nine months due to a propulsion failure. Critics questioned whether excessive focus on DEI had diverted attention from mission-critical operations.
Rajendra, who previously criticized SpaceX’s “fast-paced” and “DEI-deficient” culture in 2022, ironically saw the same company bring the stranded astronauts home via one of its capsules.
Despite reports suggesting Rajendra had avoided the round of 900 layoffs at JPL earlier this year amid NASA’s budget tightening, her departure suggests that even rebranded roles are now under review.
Trump’s executive order and wider implications
The development is part of a broader federal compliance effort after Trump’s executive order titled “Restoring the Values of Individual Dignity, Hard Work, and Excellence”, signed earlier this year. The order prohibits the use of race, gender, or identity-based criteria in federal hiring and mandates the dismantling of “radical DEI ideology” from all federal service divisions.
The White House emphasized that employment decisions within federal agencies must now strictly adhere to merit-based principles.
As of now, NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have not issued any public comment on Rajendra’s removal.
