United States Department of Transportation
Michael M. Novak
Director, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs
Michael Novak was sworn in as Director of the Maritime Administration’s Office of Congressional and Public Affairs on August 6, 2012.
Bringing two decades of congressional and national strategic political communication experience to this role, Novak leads the Maritime Administration in managing the agency’s long-term message articulation and coordination of outreach strategies.
Novak joined the Maritime Administration after returning to Washington, DC from Oregon, where for four years he functioned as the primary advocate for all Oregon cities on issues of financial policy and economic development. During his tenure there, he acted as a Board Member of the Oregon Economic Development Association, where he worked to support efforts to diversify and expand the Oregon economy.
From 2002 through 2005, Novak served Washington State’s King, Pierce and Snohomish counties as Sound Transit’s Government Relations Specialist, a role in which he advanced the regional transit authority’s planning, building and operating of express bus, light rail and commuter train services with elected city, county, state and national officials.
Since beginning his career as an organizer to a presidential and Senate campaign, Novak has provided political consulting to national and state candidates, directed ballot measure outreach operations, managed numerous statewide and regional initiative campaigns, provided project management advisory to a New York City campaign for Public Advocate, and served as an International Election Monitor to the nation of El Salvador.
Novak’s record of public service includes legislative research roles for United States Congressmen John Dingell (D-MI-12) and David Bonior (D-MI-12), the United States House of Representatives Office of the Minority Whip.
Novak holds a Master of Science Degree in Management from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from the University of Oregon.