Erika Kirk, CEO and board chair of Turning Point USA, has been appointed to a U.S. Air Force (USAF) advisory board by Donald Trump. She is filling the vacancy created when her late husband, Charlie Kirk, was assassinated on Sept. 10, 2025. She joins the board at a time when it may consider awarding him an honorary Air Force degree.

Charlie Kirk was a conservative leader who served on the Board of Visitors from March 2025 until he was killed while making a speech at Utah Valley University. He was the co-founder of Turning Point USA, which promotes conservative politics and educates, trains and organizes students on high school and college campuses.

Conservatives are praising Erika Kirk’s appointment to the board, saying she will continue her husband’s efforts to motivate the next generation of service members. Her appointment was quietly announced on the U.S. Air Force Board of Visitors’ website in early March.

Despite the low-key nature of the announcement, Newsweek reported that “the decision has drawn attention” because the appointment was not publicly announced and because it comes only months after Charlie Kirk’s death.

In confirming the appointment, White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales wrote that “Erika Kirk will continue (her husband’s) legacy and be a fearless advocate for the most elite air power force in the history of the world whose warriors keep our Nation safe, strong and free.”

“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,” according to Wales.

Critics disagree. They say he was divisive. “Behind the branding of ‘patriotism’ and ‘freedom,’ the record shows a pattern of rhetoric, organizational culture, and alliances that echoed white supremacist and Christian nationalist ideologies,” according to Vernellia R. Randall, professor emerita of law at the University of Dayton School of Law.

Kirk lived long enough to attend one board meeting, where he questioned the staff about implementing Trump’s orders on critical race theory and diversity and inclusion.

Erika Kirk’s appointment comes at a time when the Board of Visitors may discuss whether to recommend that her late husband receive an honorary degree from the Air Force Academy.

The Air Force Academy Association of Graduates (AOG) considered the idea last fall, but there was “widespread controversy,” and the motions were withdrawn. Critics argued that Charlie Kirk was not only politically divisive but also had no military background. The AOG cannot award the honorary degree, but voted in October to refer the matter to the Board of Visitors for consideration.

The board consists of 16 members, including lawmakers from Colorado, where the Air Force Academy is located, and other states. The U.S. president appoints six members, and the leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives appoint the remaining 11. Members typically serve three years.

Board members evaluate the academy and make annual recommendations to the Secretary of Defense. Their report focuses on morale, discipline, academics, finances and other matters.

The Air Force Academy’s curriculum includes nuclear system management, engineering, military history, aircraft flight, high-stress squadron leadership, and other relevant subjects as they prepare for their officer commissions. Board members typically have military experience or have worked in government, although neither of the Kirks had that prior experience.

Erika Kirk joins board members, including U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL); Doug Nikolai, a retired Air Force colonel who served as an F-16 weapons instructor; Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK); Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Ted Budd (R-NC), among others. One board position remains vacant.

Board chair U.S. Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), who had advocated for Erika Kirk’s appointment, praised Charlie Kirk’s service on the board. The late conservative icon was a “passionate champion for our academy, its timeless mission, and the extraordinary Cadets who have dedicated their lives to service before self,” he said, per The Christian Post.

Randall took the opposite view last October. “On race, Kirk was blunt and dismissive,” she said. “He denied the existence of systematic racism, called white privilege a ‘racist idea,’ and vilified critical race theory as dangerous indoctrination.” Critical race theory claims that racism is a normal part of society rather than an individual prejudice.

The board positions came open in February 2025, when Trump ordered the removal of incumbent members of the Boards of Visitors of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard academies. He cited a need to remove “woke leftist ideologues.”

Trump appointed five new members to the Air Force Academy board last March and has appointed political allies and other conservative activists to several other boards in his second term.

The Air Force Academy has said it places duty ahead of political ideology. However, Trump supporters say that voters’ opinions, as evidenced in the 2024 election, should be reflected in the board.