Who is Neela Rajendra, Indian-origin diversity chief fired by Nasa?

Neela Rajendra, an Indian-origin official who served as the chief of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa), has been fired from her role.

Her removal comes amid a bigger move led by US President Donald Trump and Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) head Elon Musk, both of whom have been opponents of DEI initiatives , which they claim promote unfair practices in the federal system.

In March, Nasa formally dissolved its diversity division, following an executive order by Trump that banned DEI programmes across all executive branch agencies.

ALSO READ | First Columbia, now Harvard and more… How Trump is targeting elite US universities

Rajendra’s departure follows reports that she had survived the initial wave of terminations in 2024, during which around 900 DEI employees at Nasa lost their jobs.

More from Explainers

Will Trump impose a martial law-type order in the US soon? Scott Bessent: The man who convinced Trump to pause tariffs

In this explainer, we look at Neela Rajendra’s background and examine how she managed to remain in her position during Trump’s earlier DEI purge, until now.

Who is Neela Rajendra?

Rajendra, who is of Indian origin, served as the Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

She was responsible for leading initiatives aimed at diversifying the workforce, including supporting the “Space Workforce 2030” pledge, which focused on increasing the hiring of women and minorities.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, Rajendra argued in a 2022 presentation that “extreme deadline[s]” were slowing progress towards “inclusion” goals.

In a bid to protect her from getting fired after Trump’s executive order banning DEI programmes , the space agency rebranded her role, appointing her as “Head of the Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success”.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

Ghaziabad woman dead, pilgrims attacked in bus… How Nepal’s Gen-Z protests turned into a living hell for Indian tourists

Were bodyguards involved in Charlie Kirk’s shooting? The many conspiracies surrounding the killing

In her new role, lab staff were informed she would oversee “affinity groups” at the lab, such as the “Black Excellence Strategic Team.”

Following the change, Rajendra updated her LinkedIn profile to announce the new position, describing her job as helping to “unlock our potential to dare mighty things together.”

While her title no longer referenced DEI, many of her core responsibilities remained the same under the revised designation.

ALSO READ | Will Trump impose a martial law-type order in the US soon?

As of early March, Rajendra was still leading the Black Excellence Strategic Team at the lab.

However, after reports surfaced about her continued presence despite the broader crackdown on DEI, the lab ended her employment earlier this week.

In an internal email last week, employees at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory were informed of her departure.

“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,” read the message, reportedly sent by JPL Director Laurie Leshin, according to Daily Mail.

Leshin further said that the Office of Team Excellence and Employee Success, previously led by Rajendra, would now be moved under the human resources division.

Nasa on DEI programmes

Nasa formally ended its diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility (DEIA) programmes after all federal agencies were instructed to dismantle such initiatives.

On January 20, just hours after taking the oath of office, Trump began signing executive orders to roll back existing programmes.

These directives also urged federal contractors to abandon what were termed “illegal DEI discrimination” policies and told agencies to compile lists of private companies that could be scrutinised for their diversity efforts .

Months ago, in an internal email from acting administrator Janet Petro, the agency notified staff that it was “taking steps to close all agency DEIA offices and end all DEIA-related contracts in accordance with President Trump’s executive orders.”

In that message, Nasa stated the programmes had “divided Americans by race, wasted taxpayer dollars, and resulted in shameful discrimination.”

ALSO READ | How fit is Donald Trump, America’s oldest-elected president?

According to Daily Mail, the agency had been spending around $22.4 million each year on these initiatives.

Nasa had been involved in DEI work for more than a decade, having launched its first Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Implementation Plan in 2012. Since 2022, most of its DEI funding had been directed towards environmental-related projects.

The aim of DEI programmes was to expand opportunities for women, ethnic minorities, LGBT individuals, and other underrepresented groups.

Supporters argue that such initiatives are essential for addressing systemic inequality and historical injustices. However, Trump and several Republicans have claimed that these policies unfairly discriminate against others and undermine merit-based systems.

With inputs from agencies