President’s speeches, letters, and articles
Subject: Welcome Institutional Diversity Consultant Neela Rajendra
March 30, 2026
Dear Reed College Community,
I am pleased to share that Neela Rajendra has joined Reed College as a temporary Institutional Diversity Consultant. This summer, Neela will serve as the Interim Vice President for Institutional Diversity as we begin the national search for a new Vice President for the division. During her time with Reed, Neela will support the Office for Institutional Diversity team and partner with campus stakeholders in our shared commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable community.
Neela is a higher education leader with more than a decade of experience advancing institutional diversity and inclusive excellence in collaboration with faculty, researchers, and senior leadership. She most recently served as Chief Inclusion Officer and Chief Team Excellence and Employee Success Officer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she worked closely with scientists, engineers, and leaders to strengthen organizational culture, leadership, and psychological safety, particularly during periods of significant organizational change.
Earlier, she held roles at Claremont McKenna College, where she taught, collaborated with faculty on curricular innovation, and led initiatives connecting academic work with institutional mission and student experience. She also co-founded the Science of Diversity & Inclusion Initiative, which brings together researchers and organizational leaders to explore how insights from social science can inform institutional practice.
Neela holds a BA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MBA from Wake Forest University.
Please join me in welcoming Neela to Reed College.
Sincerely,
Audrey
Audrey Bilger
President
Reed College