Kristi Noem joins B.C copper junior as advisor

Kristi Noem, the former U.S. Secretary for Homeland Security, is entering the mining space as an advisor to a British Columbia-based junior.

NovaRed Mining (CSE: NRED), which holds two early-stage copper assets in the province, said Wednesday it hired Noem to support the company’s efforts to acquire and advance critical mineral exploration opportunities.

Noem boasts “extensive experience spanning economic development, infrastructure, energy, agriculture, national security and public-private collaboration,” NovaRed said. She is now the diplomatic head of the Shield of the Americas, a 17-nation group founded in March to fight drug cartels and illegal migrants. 

“I look forward to supporting the company’s strategic objectives,” Noem said in the release. “In an increasingly competitive global environment, secure and reliable access to critical minerals has become an important economic and national security priority.”

Shares of NovaRed Mining rose 2.2% on Wednesday afternoon to $1.88 apiece, giving the Vancouver-based explorer a market capitalization of $73.2 million.

Similkameen projects

NovaRed’s exploration assets include the Wilmac property, covering 160 sq. km, and the smaller Lamont Ridge project. They’re adjacent in the Similkameen mining division about 230 km east of Vancouver. 

Surface sampling to date on the properties returned average copper grades of 0.64%, with the highest grade being 1.67%. The company uses an artificial intelligence-enhanced technology platform, it said.

“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,” NovaRed CEO Brian Goss said.

Infrastructure experience

After dropping her from the Homeland Security post in March, U.S. President Donald Trump appointed Noem as Special Envoy to the Shield of the Americas. It’s a group of centrist and right-leaning governments Trump created the same month. Major regional powers like Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, as well as Canada, are notably absent. 

As the eighth Secretary of Homeland Security, Noem oversaw one of the federal government’s largest departments and directed initiatives involving critical infrastructure, transportation security, interagency coordination and strategic operations.

A cascade of leadership controversies, including her handling of the immigration crackdown in Minneapolis as well as management scandals, preceded her demotion. 

Noem was the governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025, where she led statewide economic development and infrastructure initiatives. Before that, she was the sole South Dakota legislator in  House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.