Erika Kirk, the widow of slain Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, has been appointed by President Donald Trump to an advisory board for the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Academy.
Charlie Kirk, founder of TPUSA and TPUSA Faith, was originally appointed to the USAF Academy Board of Visitors by Trump in March 2025, months before he was assassinated on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Established under Title 10 U.S. Code 9455, the Board of Visitors “inquiries into the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal affairs, academic methods and other matters relating to the Academy which the Board decides to consider.”
Weeks before his assassination, Kirk attended his only meeting of the board in August, where he asked Air Force Academy Superintendent Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind about the academy’s progress in complying with Trump’s executive orders regarding the elimination of critical race theory (CRT) and diversity initiatives.
Erika Kirk, who assumed the roles of CEO and board chair of TPUSA after her husband’s death, now steps into the board position herself. Her name appears among the president’s appointees on the academy’s official website, listed alongside Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., Dan Clark, Doug Nikolai and Dina Powell, with one slot vacant.
Of the 17 board positions at the USAF Academy, six are appointed by the president and 11 by congressional leaders. Appointments are typically for three-year terms, but recent administrations, including the Biden administration, have opted to quickly replace defense advisory board members.
While others on the advisory board have historically held governmental or military roles, Erika Kirk, like her late husband, doesn’t have any prior military service or ties to the USAF Academy, according to a review of Kirk’s website by The Christian Post.
A former beauty pageant queen, Erika Kirk has degrees from Arizona State University and Liberty University, according to her personal website.
Current members of the USAF Academy Board of Visitors include Clark, a motivational speaker with longtime ties to the USAF; Nikolai, a retired USAF colonel; and Powell, who served as Deputy National Security Advisor during the first Trump administration.
Following his death, Board of Visitors Chairman Rep. August Pfluger released a statement honoring Kirk’s brief service as a “passionate champion for our Academy, its timeless mission and the extraordinary Cadets who have dedicated their lives to service before self.”
The Christian Post reached out to the Air Force Academy and TPUSA for comment on Tuesday. This article will be updated if a response is received.
Last October, following Kirk’s death, the USAF Academy was set to vote on whether to extend Kirk an honorary degree and membership in the academy’s alumni group. However, before a vote was cast, the academy withdrew both motions after receiving comments from “several hundred” USAF Academy graduates and family members about the proposal.
President Trump appointed Kirk after he ordered the “immediate dismissal” of the Board of Visitors for the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard in February 2025. “We will have the strongest Military in History, and that begins by appointing new individuals to these Boards. We must make the Military Academies GREAT AGAIN!” the president wrote.
Ian M. Giatti is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected].
