Kristi Noem’s tenure leading the Department of Homeland Security is over, but her services as an adviser to critical minerals companies are in demand as miners seek to capitalize on the Trump administration’s push to build domestic supply chains in rare earths and metals . The former Homeland Security secretary, who was fired in March , said in an interview that multiple critical minerals companies have approached her about advisory roles, though she declined to identify them. In June, Noem joined Vancouver -based NovaRed Mining Inc. ’s advisory board as the struggling exploration company strives to expand its critical minerals footprint in North America. “Looking at what my experience has been, where I’ve served and what my background is, I’ve had a variety of different types of businesses reach out to consider some kind of an advisory role,” she said of the inquiries. NovaRed knows “that the relationships that I have could benefit them as to who we could connect with to help their company be better and to grow.” Noem is one of a number of presidential associates to leverage their ties to the White House for roles at publicly traded companies. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump were added to company boards in the wake of the 2024 election. Noem’s appointment to NovaRed stirred controversy in Canada and led retired United States Navy Commander Phil Ehr to quit last week in protest, according to the Globe and Mail. Her appointment to the $26 million NovaRed came at a critical time after the company flagged its ability to continue as a going concern in a recent filing. NovaRed has yet to discover a proven copper deposit in Canada and remains in the early exploration phase. Shares of the thinly traded stock are down more than 60 per cent since Noem’s appointment was announced on June 16. NovaRed is exploring potential opportunities to acquire a U.S. mine, while also working toward eventually supplying copper to the country as President Donald Trump seeks to stockpile the metal, said Noem. Earlier this year, the White House launched Project Vault, a US$12 billion critical minerals initiative aimed at insulating manufacturers from supply shocks as the U.S. works to slash its reliance on Chinese rare earths and other metals. RIP the U.S. state departmentNew Brunswick mining ‘reinvigorated’ as industry interest grows “Knowing that you have a market for your resources is critically important, and they know the United States is interested in that,” said Noem, who is now a special envoy for the Shield of the Americas, a Western Hemisphere security initiative. Noem is not the only Trump associate to advise NovaRed. In June, the company also brought on Katie Zacharia, a senior communications adviser at Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., according to her LinkedIn profile. The company has recruited a string of advisers with ties to the U.S. military and federal government in recent months, including retired U.S. Army Colonel Mark Calabrese and former U.S. Export-Import Bank adviser Ed Kostenski. The company touts its use of artificial intelligence and said in May it filed an application in the U.S. to patent its technology. The company is preparing for an initial drill program this fall at its Wilmac copper-gold project in British Columbia. Bloomberg.com
Kristi Noem courted by critical minerals firms after DHS ouster
