Trump appoints Erika Kirk to Air Force Academy board to continue Charlie’s ‘legacy’

President Donald Trump has appointed Erika Kirk, widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, to the board of visitors that’s in charge of making U.S. Air Force Academy recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the president.

As of Tuesday, March 10, Kirk is listed on the United States Air Force Academy Board of Visitors’ website as an appointee of President Trump. Olivia Wales, White House spokeswoman, also confirmed her appointment in a statement to USA TODAY on March 10.

“President Trump made the perfect choice in appointing Erika Kirk to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors,” Wales wrote in the statement.

There are 16 seats altogether on the board and among them are Republican and Democratic lawmakers from states such as Alabama, Colorado, and North Dakota, as well as retired Air Force Col. Doug “Stoli” Nikolai.

The board’s responsibilities include looking into the academy’s morale, discipline, curriculum, instruction, physical equipment, financial affairs, academic methods and other matters. The board also makes recommendations to the Secretary of Defense and the president.

The U.S. Air Force Academy said in a statement to USA TODAY on March 10 that it “does not influence or take a position on the selection of individual Board of Visitors members.” The academy added that it “thanks all members of the USAFA Board of Visitors for their service and commitment to our mission.”

“In accordance with federal law, Board appointments are made independently by the President of the United States and Congressional leaders in both the House and Senate, and the Board provides reports and recommendations to the Secretary of War and Secretary of the Air Force,” the statement read.

Charlie Kirk served on the board

Erika Kirk’s late husband previously served on the board, according to the White House spokeswoman.

“Charlie Kirk served proudly on the Board, inspiring not only the next generation of servicemembers, but millions around the world with his bold Christian faith, defense of the truth, and deep love of country,” Wales said. “Erika Kirk will continue his legacy, and be a fearless advocate for the most elite airpower force in the history of the world whose warriors keep our Nation safe, strong, and free.”

While serving on the board, Charlie Kirk asked Air Force Academy staff for details on how they followed President Trump’s orders on critical race theory and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

He asked “how the Academy is ensuring compliance with the faculty to ensure USAFA doesn’t push the worldview of oppression, oppressor/oppressed dynamics, anti-western, anti-American, and gender ideology,” per notes from the Aug. 7 meeting.

He also pushed to speed up the renovation of the U.S. Air Force Academy Chapel, according to a memo Doug Truax, CEO of Restoration of America Foundation/Restoration of America, wrote to the board. Charlie Kirk said in August that the chapel, which some cadets had been disappointed they couldn’t see during their time at the academy, was built in two years but would take 9 years to fix.

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Erika Kirk will serve at least three years on Air Force Academy board

Since she was appointed by the president, Erika Kirk will serve on the Air Force Academy Board of Visitors for at least three years, or until a successor is chosen.

According to the academy, she and other board members can request information about the academy to come up with recommendations for the president and secretary of defense, and then put these recommendations into a semiannual report.

Before marrying her husband in 2021, Erika Kirk won Miss Arizona USA in 2012, and received her Juris Master’s from Liberty University School of Law in 2019, according to her Instagram.

She has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and International Relations from Arizona State University, according to the biography on her website.

Now that Kirk has been appointed, just two of the 16 seats on the Air Force Academy’s board are vacant, set to be appointed by President Trump and the House Minority Leader. USA TODAY has contacted the White House to ask for details on who else may be appointed to the board and when.

Contributing: Jonathan Limehouse, USA TODAY

Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s NOW team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at sdmartin@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump appoints Erika Kirk to Air Force Academy board