Hull KR have signed Canterbury Bulldogs half-back Kris Keating on a three-year deal.
The 59-year-old, brother of Warrington coach Tony Smith, will take over from Matt Elliott, who has stepped down because of his commitments with the New Zealand Warriors.
Smith, who was a consultant for England during the 2010 Four Nations Series, said he long held ambitions to develop rugby league in the States.
"The potential for the game in America is enormous," he said. "American people go nuts over our game.
"Matt Elliott has been fantastic for the Tomahawks and I just want to dovetail on the back of that.
"I have had long-running connections to the game in America, beginning with a great friendship with Mike Mayer, who was one of the men who introduced the game to the States in the 1970s.
"I have been to America many times and I always take videos with me and, when you actually sit down and explain the strategy, they truly embrace and understand it."
The Tomahawks, who beat Jamaica to qualify for their first World Cup, face Scotland and Wales in their group matches and open up against the Cook Islands in Bristol on October 30.