Donald Trump has named Erika Kirk, the widow of slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, to a key advisory board of the US Air Force Academy.
The 37-year-old joins other president loyalists on the 16-member panel of the academy’s board of visitors, which according to its website “inquires into the morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, fiscal matters, academic methods and other matters” of the Colorado Springs military training facility.
Kirk’s husband, who was shot to death in September during a conference at Utah Valley University, was appointed by Trump to the board a year earlier and served until his death.
There was no official announcement from the academy about his widow’s promotion, as The Hill and other political news outlets reported Tuesday. But his name has already been added to the list of members as one of five current Trump appointees, with one seat vacant.
Other appointees by the president in March 2025 include Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Dina Powell, who was deputy national security adviser for strategy during the first Trump administration.
Several members of Congress from both parties make up most of the rest of the panel, which includes two other Republican U.S. senators elevated by John Thune, the chamber’s majority leader; They are Kevin Cramer of North Dakota and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma, recently named as Trump’s pick to replace fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
In a statement, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Erika Kirk was a “perfect choice” to succeed her husband.
“Charlie Kirk proudly served on the board, inspiring not only the next generation of military personnel, but millions of people around the world with his bold Christian faith, his defense of truth and his deep love of country,” he said.
“Erika Kirk will continue his legacy and be a fearless defender of the most elite air force in the history of the world, whose warriors keep our nation safe, strong and free.”
Since her husband’s murder, Kirk has continued to play an active role in Turning Point USA, the conservative advocacy group she founded and led, as president and CEO.
He is scheduled to appear Wednesday with Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican governor of Arkansas and Trump’s former press secretary, at an event in Little Rock to promote the group’s Club America program that seeks to install a Turning Point chapter in every public high school in the state.
Kirk, a former winner of the Miss Arizona beauty pageant, was also recognized by Trump during the president’s State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in February.
