Erika Kirk Named CEO of Turning Point USA Following Charlie Kirk’s Death

Turning Point USA’s Board has named Erika Kirk as its new Chief Executive Officer and Chair, fulfilling her late husband Charlie Kirk’s wishes, the organization confirmed on Thursday.

Charlie Kirk, who founded TPUSA in 2012, was tragically shot and killed on September 10, 2025, during an event at Utah Valley University.

A statement signed by Board members Doug De Groote, Mike Miller, Tom Sodeika and David Engelhardt says, in part:

“It was the honor of our lives to serve as board members at Charlie's side. Charlie prepared all of us for a moment like this one. He worked tirelessly to ensure Turning Point USA was built to survive even the greatest tests. And now, it is our great pride to announce Erika Kirk as the new CEO and Chair of the Board for Turning Point USA.”

Sources say that before his death, Charlie Kirk expressed that Erica should lead the organization should the unthinkable happen. The Board’s decision was unanimous.

Erika is a former Miss Arizona USA, entrepreneur, nonprofit worker, and has experience in media and fashion. She and Charlie married in 2021 and share two young children.

Erika Kirk has pledged to uphold the organization’s mission. She told People that this outcome is “what he wanted,” and said she intends to help continue and expand Charlie's vision. Turning Point USA, founded when Charlie was just 18, became known for its college campus work around issues such as limited government and free markets.

In the wake of Kirk’s death, Turning Point USA has been inundated with requests to form new high school and college chapters. In just 48 hours, the group reported over 32,000 inquiries from students across the country wanting to start chapters. Currently, TPUSA claims about 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters, with presence on roughly 3,500 campuses overall. Many see the spike as evidence that Charlie Kirk’s vision—to have a “Club America” presence in every U.S. high school—is gaining momentum far faster than even his closest allies had expected.

A copy of the Board’s statement is below: