Erika Kirk’s late husband, Charlie Kirk, had been appointed by Trump to serve on the board in March 2025 and attended one meeting before his assassination.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has appointed Erika Kirk, the Turning Point USA chairwoman and widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors.
Erika Kirk’s appointment was not announced by the board, though her name appears to have been added to its list of members over the weekend.
Erika Kirk’s late husband, Charlie Kirk, had been appointed by Trump to serve on the board in March 2025 and attended one meeting in August before his assassination.
In her new role, Erika Kirk will serve alongside military officials and members of Congress on the board overseeing “the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters relating to the Academy.”
Trump had previously appointed Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) and advisor Dina Powell to the board, as well as retired Air Force Col. Doug Nikolai.
Located in Colorado Springs, Colo., the four-year service academy prepares cadets for service in the U.S. Air Force and the Space Force.
Both Republican and Democratic leadership in the U.S. House and Senate can make appointments to the Board of Visitors. Among the designees from Congress are Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) and Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Homeland Security, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.)
Since Charlie Kirk’s assassination last September, Erika Kirk has become increasingly involved with state and national politics. Erika Kirk was expected to appear alongside Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to promote Turning Point USA. The group was founded to advocate for conservative politics on college campuses and later became a mobilizing force around Trump’s presidential campaigns.
