US agency rebrands ‘chief diversity officer’ amid Trump purge

The US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has renamed the position of its chief diversity officer to “senior executive,” after President Donald Trump ordered the dismantling of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs across the federal government.

Lisa T. Boykin, the long-serving official who previously held the title, remains on the list of ATF leadership. Critics online have speculated that the agency is trying to “circumvent” Trump’s policy.

British tabloid the Daily Mail accused the ATF of deploying “sneaky tactics” to undermine the executive order.

Boykin reportedly joined the ATF in 2002 as an employee and labor relations specialist, later taking charge of the Human Resources Operations Division, and the Workforce Wellness Services Division in 2016. She was appointed the bureau’s chief diversity officer in 2021, according to her public bio.

The agency said it promoted Boykin to support then-President Joe Biden’s executive order advancing the DEI agenda at the federal workforce. She was tasked with incorporating such practices “as an integral facet of ATF work and programs,” which the bureau called “instrumental in enhancing the recruitment, hiring, retention and promotion policies.”

In a memo on Trump’s DEI purge, the White House directed federal agencies this week to put their diversity officers on paid administrative leave and to prepare plans for a “reduction-in-force action” targeting the relevant offices. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt shared the document with the public on Tuesday.

Axing DEI initiatives is part of Trump’s plan to eradicate Biden’s “divisive and wasteful” policies. In a recent interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity, the president claimed that his election victory reflected voters’ rejection of “horrible” policies promoted by the “radical left.”