Cynthia Clark, a Navy veteran and former Park University student, was recently fired from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Kansas City District following her role in removing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) content from the agency’s online platforms, according to an interview with The Kansas City Star.

Clark attended Park from 2019 to 2021 and worked as a reporter for The Stylus. She also received the university’s Dr. Doris Howell Leadership Award in 2020. She was just a few courses shy of graduating when she began her role as a public affairs specialist with the Army Corps.

Clark said she was asked to help scrub DEI-related language from the district’s social media and web presence as the agency responded to new federal directives issued after President Donald Trump’s return to office. The work made her uncomfortable.

“After that, I was like, ‘I’m not doing this. I can’t — I can’t do this with a clear heart,’” Clark told The Kansas City Star, which first reported the story.

Clark, 48, served more than 18 years in the Navy as a mass communications specialist. Her military background included roles in journalism, including interviews with public figures and coverage of service events. She described her time at the Kansas City District as a continuation of that work.

“It was a perfect way to continue the service to my country — by telling stories,” she said.

Clark said she had sought a deferred resignation through a program known as “Fork in the Road,” which was promoted by billionaire Elon Musk under the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE — an initiative meant to restructure the federal workforce. Instead, she was fired three business days before the end of her one-year probationary period.

The Army Corps cited poor performance as the reason for her termination. Clark said she believes the decision was politically motivated and shaped by broader cuts and compliance efforts tied to the Trump administration.

In a statement to The Star, the district’s chief of public affairs, Diana McCoy, said, “We do not comment on internal personnel matters.” She added that no Kansas City District employees had been terminated due to DOGE cuts, a federal initiative under the Department of Government Efficiency.

“I don’t honestly think that is something that would have happened if something different happened on Nov. 5,” Clark said.

Clark provided a list of over 60 words and phrases that she said were removed from agency platforms, including terms like “equal opportunity,” “dignity,” and “respect.” While she said she enjoyed her job and many of her coworkers, the experience left her disillusioned.

“Everybody was just walking on eggshells, wondering if they’d still have a job by the end of the day,” she said.

Clark said she plans to take a few weeks to regroup and update her résumé. Despite the circumstances of her departure, she said she remains proud of the work she did.