Neela Rajendra, the Indian-origin leader of NASA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, has been removed from her position following US President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at dismantling DEI programs across federal agencies.

Rajendra’s dismissal comes after NASA’s unsuccessful efforts to retain her by rebranding her role at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). In March, she was reassigned to head a newly created department — the “Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success” — a move viewed internally as an attempt to circumvent the executive directive.

Despite the change in title, her duties remained largely the same, including oversight of employee support initiatives and management of affinity groups such as the “Black Excellence Strategic Team.”

However, the latest wave of federal enforcement actions targeting DEI roles led to her official termination. An internal email circulated last week by JPL Director Laurie Leshin confirmed her departure, stating: “Neela Rajendra is no longer working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. We are incredibly grateful for the lasting impact she made to our organisation. We wish her the very best.”

Rajendra had been instrumental in several high-profile inclusion initiatives at NASA, including the “Space Workforce 2030” pledge — a commitment to boosting representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the space agency’s workforce.

Her exit reflects a broader rollback of DEI programs across federal departments, with hundreds of similar roles eliminated in recent weeks. President Trump’s executive order claims that such initiatives foster division, misuse public funds, and have created discriminatory environments.

NASA has now joined a growing list of federal agencies that have dismantled or significantly reduced their diversity offices in compliance with the new directive.