Biden DEI Holdover Still Working at NSF Despite Executive Order
Original Reporting by Liberato.US
March 4, 2026
Before being selected as Assistant Director for the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF EDU), Dr. James L. Moore III served as a DEI policy advocate, vice provost for diversity and inclusion, and chief diversity officer at Ohio State University. In his May 9, 2019 testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space & Technology, he urged continued federal funding for DEI initiatives, including Ohio State’s “Todd Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male” and the “Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP).”
In August 2022, Dr. Moore was selected by the Biden administration for his background as a DEI advocate and specialist in African male studies, not for his experience in STEM education.
Under the Biden administration, Dr. Moore launched the Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative, a DEI program.
In November 2024, as a subcommittee co-chair, Dr. Moore coordinated with the Biden White House and released its disastrous “Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent.” The plan offers no analysis of the root causes of America’s STEM education decline and, therefore, provides no strategy to reverse it. Rather than focusing on educational excellence and cultivating the top STEM talent needed for global competitiveness, it centers on the Biden administration’s DEI agenda, promoting DEI goals across all five pillars—from inclusive participation and minority‑focused curricula to recruitment targets, funding priorities, and equity‑centered learning environments. By explicitly calling for “equitable workforce outcomes for national STEM workers,” the plan effectively shifts resources away from high‑achieving students and lowers standards, risking further deterioration of America’s STEM capabilities.
Unfortunately, more than a year after President Trump signed an Executive Order banning DEI programs across all federal government agencies (upheld by the 4th Circuit in February 2026), today, Dr. Moore – a DEI advocate selected by the Biden administration – is still in the leadership of the STEM Education Directorate of the National Science Foundation.
The Trump administration initiated significant job cuts and workforce reductions at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2025. Overall, NSF lost about one-third of its staff. Yet, DEI specialist Dr. Moore remains employed at NSF despite the Executive Order’s directive to “terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI, DEIA, and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions.”
While the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies are actively implementing President Trump’s agenda to restore meritocracy and educational excellence, the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation has taken no steps to rescind the Biden administration’s strategic plan that embeds DEI priorities into STEM education. In a 2025 presentation on AI, Dr. Moore made no mention of cultivating America’s top STEM talent to compete with China and other adversaries; instead, his focus remained on providing STEM education to underserved communities, a core DEI objective.
To make America’s STEM education great again, President Trump should replace Dr. Moore with a proven advocate of meritocracy—someone who can provide bold leadership to reverse the Biden administration’s DEI‑driven policies, refocus the system on innovation, and cultivate home‑grown STEM talent essential for maintaining U.S. technological leadership and securing high‑paying STEM careers for American workers.
Original Reporting by Liberato.US
March 4, 2026
Before being selected as Assistant Director for the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation (NSF EDU), Dr. James L. Moore III served as a DEI policy advocate, vice provost for diversity and inclusion, and chief diversity officer at Ohio State University. In his May 9, 2019 testimony before the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space & Technology, he urged continued federal funding for DEI initiatives, including Ohio State’s “Todd Bell National Resource Center on the African American Male” and the “Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP).”
In August 2022, Dr. Moore was selected by the Biden administration for his background as a DEI advocate and specialist in African male studies, not for his experience in STEM education.
Under the Biden administration, Dr. Moore launched the Eddie Bernice Johnson INCLUDES Initiative, a DEI program.
In November 2024, as a subcommittee co-chair, Dr. Moore coordinated with the Biden White House and released its disastrous “Federal Strategic Plan for Advancing STEM Education and Cultivating STEM Talent.” The plan offers no analysis of the root causes of America’s STEM education decline and, therefore, provides no strategy to reverse it. Rather than focusing on educational excellence and cultivating the top STEM talent needed for global competitiveness, it centers on the Biden administration’s DEI agenda, promoting DEI goals across all five pillars—from inclusive participation and minority‑focused curricula to recruitment targets, funding priorities, and equity‑centered learning environments. By explicitly calling for “equitable workforce outcomes for national STEM workers,” the plan effectively shifts resources away from high‑achieving students and lowers standards, risking further deterioration of America’s STEM capabilities.
Unfortunately, more than a year after President Trump signed an Executive Order banning DEI programs across all federal government agencies (upheld by the 4th Circuit in February 2026), today, Dr. Moore – a DEI advocate selected by the Biden administration – is still in the leadership of the STEM Education Directorate of the National Science Foundation.
The Trump administration initiated significant job cuts and workforce reductions at the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 2025. Overall, NSF lost about one-third of its staff. Yet, DEI specialist Dr. Moore remains employed at NSF despite the Executive Order’s directive to “terminate, to the maximum extent allowed by law, all DEI, DEIA, and ‘environmental justice’ offices and positions.”
While the U.S. Department of Education and other federal agencies are actively implementing President Trump’s agenda to restore meritocracy and educational excellence, the STEM Education Directorate at the National Science Foundation has taken no steps to rescind the Biden administration’s strategic plan that embeds DEI priorities into STEM education. In a 2025 presentation on AI, Dr. Moore made no mention of cultivating America’s top STEM talent to compete with China and other adversaries; instead, his focus remained on providing STEM education to underserved communities, a core DEI objective.
To make America’s STEM education great again, President Trump should replace Dr. Moore with a proven advocate of meritocracy—someone who can provide bold leadership to reverse the Biden administration’s DEI‑driven policies, refocus the system on innovation, and cultivate home‑grown STEM talent essential for maintaining U.S. technological leadership and securing high‑paying STEM careers for American workers.