President Trump highlights Erica Kirk in State of the Union address
President Trump paid tribute to both Charlie Kirk and his widow, Erica Kirk.
President Donald Trump has appointed Erica Kirk, the widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to the Board of Visitors, which is responsible for recommending the U.S. Air Force Academy to the Secretary of Defense and the president.
As of Tuesday, March 10, Kirk is listed on the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors website as an appointee of President Trump. White House press secretary Olivia Wales also confirmed her appointment in a March 10 statement to USA TODAY.
“President Trump made the perfect choice to appoint Erica Kirk to the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors,” Wales said in a statement.
The board has 16 seats in total, including Republicans and Democrats from Alabama, Colorado, North Dakota and other states, as well as retired Air Force Col. Doug “Stori” Nikolai.
The board’s responsibilities include examining the academy’s morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, athletic facilities, finances, learning methods, and other issues. The board also makes recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the President.
Charlie Kirk served as a director.
Erika Kirk’s late husband previously served on the company’s board, according to a White House spokesperson.
“Charlie Kirk served as a proud board member and inspired the next generation of service members and millions of others around the world with his bold Christian faith, defense of truth, and deep love for his country,” said Wales. “Erica Kirk will carry on that legacy as a fearless defender of the most elite air force in the history of the world, whose warriors will keep our nation safe, strong, and free.”
During his time on the board, Charlie Kirk asked Air Force Academy staff for details on how they followed President Trump’s directives on critical race theory and diversity, equity and inclusion.
According to notes from the Aug. 7 meeting, he asked, “How does the academy ensure compliance with faculty to ensure that USAFA does not push a worldview of oppression, oppressor-oppressed dynamics, anti-Western, anti-American, or gender ideology?”
According to a memo to the board from Restoration of America CEO Doug Truex, he also pushed for accelerated renovations to the Air Force Academy Chapel. Charlie Kirk said in August that the chapel, which some cadets regretted not being able to see while at the academy, was built in two years but would take nine years to restore.
Erica Kirk will serve on the Air Force Academy board for at least three years
Erika Kirk was appointed by the president and will serve on the Air Force Academy’s Board of Visitors for at least three years, or until a replacement is selected.
She and other board members will request information about the academy in order to make recommendations to the president and secretary of defense, which can be compiled into semiannual reports, the academy said.
Before marrying her husband in 2021, Erika Kirk was crowned Miss Arizona USA in 2012 and earned a master’s degree in law from Liberty University School of Law in 2019, according to her Instagram.
She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and international relations from Arizona State University, according to her biography on her website.
Kirk’s appointment leaves only two of the 16 seats on the Air Force Academy’s Board of Governors vacant, to be appointed by President Trump and the House Minority Leader. USA TODAY reached out to the White House and Air Force Academy for details about who else will be appointed to the board and when.
Contributor: Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY
Saleen Martin is a reporter for USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia (757). Email sdmartin@usatoday.com.
