Kristi Noem, who was fired as Homeland Security Secretary by President Donald Trump earlier this year, has landed a new role across the border in Canada — her third position in just four months.
Noem, who was dismissed from DHS in March after a string of controversies, now serves as a special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a multinational security coalition focused on hemispheric cooperation.
On Wednesday, British Columbia-based mineral exploration firm NovaRed Mining Inc. announced that Noem had joined the company as a strategic adviser. In a press release, the firm said she will help identify mining opportunities using artificial intelligence.
“Kristi brings exceptional leadership experience and a deep understanding of the policy, regulatory, and economic factors that influence infrastructure investment, resource development, and long-term economic growth,” CEO Brian Goss said in the release.
The company, which emphasizes “data-driven exploration,” is focused on acquiring copper assets in British Columbia, according to its website.
“I look forward to supporting the Company's strategic objectives,” said Noem, former South Dakota congresswoman and governor. “In an increasingly competitive global environment, secure and reliable access to critical minerals has become an important economic and national security priority.”
Some federal officials must secure approval from ethics officers before working for a private company, ensuring no conflicts of interest arise. It’s unclear whether Noem required or obtained such approval. The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
Noem’s new post comes after an extremely turbulent few months.
On March 5, Trump dismissed her from DHS, making her the first Cabinet official to be fired during his second term. Her ouster came after a tenure overshadowed by controversy, particularly concerning her handling of Trump’s immigration crackdown. Noem drew fierce backlash after federal agents in Minnesota killed two U.S. citizens, whom she subsequently, and without evidence, labeled “domestic terrorists.”
She also faced criticism over a costly ad campaign featuring imagery of her on horseback before Mount Rushmore, as well as persistent allegations she had kept up an affair with a senior adviser — claims she called “tabloid garbage.”
An unnamed official told The Daily Caller that Noem felt “thrown under the bus” and that she’d been made the administration’s scapegoat.
After removing Noem from top role, Trump appointed her as a special envoy to the Shield of the Americas, a newly formed and little-known security coalition comprising more than a dozen Western Hemisphere nations.
