Basic cadets from the class of 2028 arrive at the U.S. Air Force Academy on June 26, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Erika Kirk, the widow of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, is the newest member of the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors, according to a White House statement on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (Trevor Cokley/U.S. Air Force)
The widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk is the newest member of an oversight board at the U.S. Air Force Academy, filling a seat that he had held for about five months before his assassination last year.
Erika Kirk recently joined the academy’s 16-member Board of Visitors after being appointed by President Donald Trump.
The Air Force Academy on Tuesday referred a query about her appointment to the Pentagon. The academy website lists her as one of five members chosen by Trump, although the board did not announce her appointment.
KOAA, the NBC News affiliate in Colorado Springs, Colo., first reported Kirk’s appointment on Monday, saying her selection appeared to take place over the weekend.
A White House spokeswoman confirmed the news Tuesday in a statement to The Hill, calling Erika Kirk “the perfect choice.”
“Charlie Kirk served proudly on the board, inspiring not only the next generation of service members, but millions around the world with his bold Christian faith, defense of the truth, and deep love of country,” Olivia Wales told The Hill.
His widow will continue his legacy and “be a fearless advocate for the most elite airpower force in the history of the world,” Wales added.
The board’s members are appointed by the president and congressional leaders. It provides reports and recommendations to the secretaries of defense and the Air Force on matters relating to the academy, including morale, discipline, curriculum and instruction.
A conservative podcaster and co-founder of the nonprofit youth organization Turning Point USA, Charlie Kirk was named to a seat on the visitors board in March 2025.
His appointment followed Trump’s ouster the month before of members of the visitors boards at the Air Force Academy and the three other service academies. He said the institutions had been “infiltrated by Woke Leftist Ideologues.”
Charlie Kirk attended his first and only board meeting on Aug. 7, just weeks before he was shot and killed while speaking at Utah Valley University on Sept. 10.
Like her husband, Erika Kirk doesn’t have prior service in the U.S. military or ties to the academy, according to her website, mrserikakirk.com.
The former beauty pageant queen graduated from Arizona State University and holds advanced degrees from Liberty University, according to her website.
After her husband’s death, Erika Kirk took over as CEO of Turning Point USA. The organization’s student program has a presence on more than 3,500 college and high school campuses, according to the website.
Turning Point USA in October said it recognizes a chapter at the academy, but the school said it did not formally approve the club, local newspaper The Gazette reported at the time.
It’s not known whether Kirk will advocate for the same issues as her late husband. She could not immediately be reached Tuesday through her organization.
During his short stint on the board, Charlie Kirk advocated for speeding up renovations of the academy chapel, noting that it took two years to build but is taking nine years to fix, according to meeting minutes. Kirk said he wanted to make the chapel a top priority of the Pentagon or the White House.
Rep. August Pfluger, a Republican from Texas who chairs the board, told KOAA that he encouraged Kirk’s appointment months ago and applauded the president for doing so.
“Erika is the right person to fill Charlie’s place on the Board and continue his work of inspiring the next generation of service members and advancing the Academy,” Pfluger said in a statement to KOAA. “I look forward to working alongside her to carry on Charlie’s legacy.”
