Waynesburg University alumnus Luke Diel (’22) recently received a presidential appointment to the role of Policy Advisor for the Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs at the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). He was officially sworn in by Deputy Associate Administrator Casey Swails on Monday, May 19, 2025.
As a member of NASA’s Office of Legislative and Intergovernmental Affairs, which leads and coordinates all of the agency’s communications with Congress, state and local governments and industry, Diel will serve as a liaison to those entities by providing services such as congressional briefings, attending launches, aiding policy proposals, assisting the Administrator with OLIA matters and more on the administration’s agenda at NASA.
While he prepares to step into this new role, Diel said his time within the Stover Scholarship Program and his mentorship from Dr. Lawrence M. Stratton, director of the Stover Center at Waynesburg University, have been instrumental in his career.
“The Stover Program for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership laid the groundwork for my career,” said Diel. “I am deeply honored to play a role in this administration at NASA to help send American Astronauts back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years, help grow a new commercial space economy, to help Americans get to Mars and so much more. I am proud to report that the lamp is bright in Washington, D.C.”
With a growing Stover Scholar alumni network in areas of government, law and policy in Washington, D.C., Diel recommends future Stover Scholars look to the nation’s capital for opportunities that will transform their lives.
“I could not emphasize harder to students to seek out internship opportunities in Washington, D.C., and to engage as much as possible to find and build their future, starting in the heart of policy and law of our great country,” encouraged Diel. “God will lead you to unexpected places in life to help fulfill his mission and transform the polis.”
Prior to his recent appointment to NASA, Diel served as Legislative Assistant for Representative Byron Donalds of Florida’s 19th Congressional District in Washington, D.C.
About the Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership
Waynesburg University’s Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership is an interdisciplinary scholarly center dedicated to bringing insights from the U.S. Constitution’s Founding Era and from Christianity to bear in the contemporary public square, with the ultimate goal of creatively transforming the ethical state of the polis.
About Waynesburg University
Consistently ranked a best value school, Waynesburg University’s Strategy for the 21st Century affirms its commitment to developing an entrepreneurial mindset and ethical leadership skills for all students. Rooted in its mission of faith, learning and service, the private, Christian university is located on a traditional campus in the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, with an additional site for graduate and professional programs in Southpointe.
The Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership Scholarship
The Stover Center for Constitutional Studies and Moral Leadership Scholarship recognizes students with a passionate interest in the U.S. Constitution and its application in public life today. Several incoming freshmen of academic ability are chosen each year. To learn more about this prestigious scholarship opportunity and its application requirements, click the link below.
