Erika Kirk was elected unanimously as the brand new chief of Turning Level USA.
Erika Kirk, spouse of the late political commentator and Turning Level USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, was named the CEO and board chair of TPUSA on Sept. 18, simply over per week after her husband’s loss of life.
Whereas Charlie Kirk was the face of TPUSA, his spouse of four years was closely concerned within the group and had an outward-facing presence among the many group’s supporters.
Charlie Kirk, 31, was assassinated on Sept. 10 whereas talking at an occasion at Utah Valley College, answering an attendee’s query about mass shootings. The longtime political commentator was kicking off his “American Comeback” tour.
Erika’s New Position
Erika Kirk was elected unanimously as the brand new chief of the group, which was based in 2012.
Board members Doug De Groote, Mike Miller, Tom Sodeika, and David Engelhardt wrote in a statement following the announcement: “All of us at Turning Level USA have a particular function in carrying Charlie Kirk’s mantle and finishing his imaginative and prescient of bringing us all nearer to our Lord and fostering a affluent nation for generations to return.
“In Ecclesiastes, King Solomon wrote that mankind is to be examined by God. As we speak we face such a take a look at, but we additionally know that God has ready us with every thing we have to overcome this ordeal.”
They went on to say that their late founder at all times mentioned, “We have now a rustic to avoid wasting,” and that he by no means needed to give up or kneel earlier than evil.
“We are going to stick with it. The try and destroy Charlie’s work will develop into our likelihood to make it extra highly effective and enduring than ever earlier than,” they wrote.
After her husband’s loss of life, and previous to her appointment as the pinnacle of the corporate, Erika Kirk delievered an emotional tackle on Sept. 12 to pay tribute to her husband.
“Two days in the past, my husband, Charlie, went to see the face of his Savior and his God. Charlie at all times mentioned that when he was gone, he needed to be remembered for his braveness and for his religion,” she mentioned from the studio of The Charlie Kirk Present.
“And one of many last conversations that he had on this Earth, my husband witnessed for his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now and for all eternity, he’ll stand at his Savior’s aspect, sporting the fantastic crown of a martyr.”
Charlie Kirk based Turning Level USA in 2012, when he was simply 18 years outdated. The group speaks on points like morals and politics on highschool and faculty campuses, and has grown considerably through the years.
The group exists to “establish, educate, prepare, and set up college students to advertise the rules of fiscal duty, free markets, and restricted authorities,” in accordance with its website.
TPUSA has a presence on greater than 3,500 college campuses, with greater than 2,000 pupil teams and greater than 800 religion teams.
Earlier than Charlie
Earlier than her connection to Charlie Kirk and TPUSA, Erik Kirk, a 36-year-old mom of two, was already a businesswoman, philanthropist, and podcaster.
Erika Kirk gained the Miss Arizona pageant in 2012, and earlier than that was an NCAA Girls’s Basketball athlete, and likewise labored as a mannequin and actress in New York Metropolis and China.
She launched On a regular basis Heroes Like You, a 501(c)(3) group, in 2006, when she was simply 17 years outdated. The group’s mission is to advertise “on a regular basis heroes” in communities across the nation.
Erika Kirk’s group went world with its “Romanian Angels” venture, the place it teamed up with the U.S. Marine Corps to sponsor an orphanage in Constanta, Romania.
The brand new TPUSA CEO earned a double main in political science and worldwide relations from Arizona State College, and later acquired her Juris Grasp’s Diploma in American Authorized Research from Liberty College. She’s at present pursuing a Doctorate in Biblical Research from the identical college.
Based on her web site, her focus lately has been her ministry and entrepreneurship. She leads the BIBLEin365 program, which is designed to encourage day by day involvement with scripture. She additionally hosts a Midweek Rise Up podcast, which discusses Biblical management
Moreover, Erika Kirk based PROCLAIM, which is a U.S.-made clothes line with a faith-based message. Based on her web site, the clothes is a “manifestation of Erika’s dedication to residing out her beliefs boldly and inspiring others to do the identical.”
Her bio states that “Above all, Erika cherishes her function because the spouse of Charlie Kirk and the mom of their treasured son and daughter.”
After Charlie’s Passing
Erika Kirk, who married Charlie on Might 8, 2021, in Scottsdale, Arizona, in accordance with an Instagram post, was public about her opinion on her husband.
She known as Charlie Kirk “the person I’ve been praying for, earlier than I even met you.”
After her husband’s passing, whereas chatting with the world about the way in which ahead, she mentioned, “Charlie liked, liked life. He liked his life. He liked America. He liked nature, which helped him at all times carry him nearer to God. He liked the Chicago Cubs. And my goodness, did he love the Oregon Geese,” she mentioned.
“However most of all, Charlie liked his kids, and he liked me, with all of his coronary heart, and I knew that.”
Erika instructed viewers that her husband’s mission would go ahead and that she believed this may solely amplify Charlie Kirk’s message to the world.
In a Sept. 12 publish to Instagram, Erika Kirk wrote: “They do not know what they simply ignited inside this spouse. In the event that they thought my husband’s mission was huge now, you haven’t any concept. You. All of you. Won’t ever. Ever. Overlook my husband @charliekirk1776 I’ll be sure that of it.”
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