Fact check: Who are the current members of Turning Point USA's board of directors?

1. Why historical rosters and the official team page disagree — a governance snapshot story

Publicly archived or third‑party governance snapshots capture Turning Point USA’s board at different moments. SourceWatch’s governance entry from September 2024 lists five active directors — Charlie Kirk, David Engelhardt, Doug DeGroote, Mike Miller, and Tom Sodeika — and separates former or honorary members, indicating that the board was small and stable at that time ^[1]. By contrast, the organization’s own “Team” or governance page later appears to list Erika Kirk in addition to those five, representing either an expansion of the board or a contemporaneous update to reflect a leadership succession plan; the precise publication date of that team page is not provided in the available documents, so the timing of the addition is unclear ^[2]. The coexistence of a small, senior board and an updated roster suggests administrative updates and succession planning occurred between these snapshots.

2. What the news record establishes about leadership after Charlie Kirk’s death

Multiple contemporary news reports from mid‑September 2025 document the board’s unanimous election of Erika Kirk as CEO and chair following Charlie Kirk’s death, creating a clear public record that the board endorsed her as the organization’s leader ^{[3] [4]}. Those reports do not publish a full, contemporaneous roster of all board members; they focus on the board’s unanimous action and on Charlie Kirk’s prior expressed wish for Erika to take the helm, emphasizing continuity of mission rather than listing director names ^{[3] [5] [6]}. The press coverage confirms Erika’s status as chair and CEO as of September 18, 2025, but leaves open whether the formal board list retained Charlie’s name posthumously or replaced it immediately in public directories.

3. Comparing independent and organizational sources — credibility and potential motives

Independent watchdog records and SourceWatch provide archived governance snapshots that tend to lag or freeze a roster at a point in time, which explains why a September 2024 listing shows five directors ^[1]. The organization’s own page is the authoritative public face but may be updated reactively, sometimes showing transitional arrangements or reflecting internal decisions before third‑party databases catch up ^[2]. News outlets reported the board’s unanimous election of Erika, which corroborates the org‑level announcement but do not enumerate every director ^{[3] [4]}. The differing portrayals can stem from timing, archival practice, and a deliberate emphasis on leadership continuity in official communications, rather than a substantive dispute about individual directors.

4. Who is consistently named across sources — the durable core of the board

Across the available documents, David Engelhardt, Doug DeGroote, Mike Miller and Tom Sodeika appear consistently as members associated with Turning Point USA’s board in the SourceWatch snapshot and in the organization’s team listing, indicating a stable core beyond the founder ^{[1] [2]}. Charlie Kirk was listed in the 2024 snapshot and remained named on organizational listings up to and around the September 2025 transition, reflecting his founder role; after his death, reporting confirms the board moved to install Erika as chair, which implies the remaining directors continued in governance roles while elevating Erika ^{[1] [2] [3]}. This pattern — a small group of recurring names plus the founder or successor — is common in closely held nonprofit governance.

5. What remains unresolved and where to look next

Key gaps remain: public documents in the provided set do not show a dated, authoritative roster released after the September 18, 2025 unanimous vote that lists every sitting director by name and effective date, nor do the news reports supply a full membership roll ^{[3] [4]}. To resolve that ambiguity definitively, consult the organization’s Governance or Team page with a visible publish date, the most recent IRS Form 990 schedule listing current officers/directors, or state nonprofit filings that record board composition and officer changes. Those filings typically carry dates and legal attestations that clarify whether names like Charlie Kirk remained listed posthumously or were replaced.

6. Bottom line for readers seeking a definitive current list

Based on the cross‑checked sources available: as of September 2024 the board was Charlie Kirk, David Engelhardt, Doug DeGroote, Mike Miller and Tom Sodeika ^[1]; by mid‑September 2025 the board had publicly and unanimously elected Erika Kirk as CEO and chair following Charlie Kirk’s death, and organizational listings show Erika alongside the previously named directors ^{[2] [3] [4]}. That makes Erika Kirk the confirmed chair and CEO as of September 18, 2025, and the other four non‑founder directors consistent across sources; a final authoritative roster should be confirmed via the organization’s dated governance page or official filings.