All photos in this article are courtesy of the Texas Facilities Commission.
TFC “Tour of duty” in public service is complete.
After serving seven years as Executive Director of the Texas Facilities Commission (TFC), and six years as a TFC Commissioner, Mike Novak is retiring from his ‘tour of duty’ and public service to Texas. During his tenure, he provided steady, results-driven leadership that strengthened the agency, expanded its capacity, and positioned TFC for long-term successes. His leadership leaves a lasting legacy of professionalism, accountability, and service to Texas.
Early Years
Born and raised in San Antonio, Novak learned the importance of connections in business and people. He embraced the Hispanic culture and loves using his conversational Spanish to connect. His Czech grandfather was in the masonry business and would take young Mike to jobsites where he was introduced to hard work and the construction business. Novak recalls his first construction jobs screening sand for the masons, spraying water on the burlap sacks used to cure concrete, and pulling nails from the wooden forms. He learned early on that every person and job matters.
Novak studied business and finance at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and planned to attend law school after graduation. However, destiny had other plans. Shortly after graduation, business associates recruited Novak to manage an industrial construction project in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. The allure of international travel and an exciting opportunity to work on a challenging and complex construction project captured his attention.
Two years later, after completing the industrial construction project, Novak returned to San Antonio and continued to work in the heavy equipment and construction industry. Then, at the age of twenty-eight, he started his own construction company. Novak’s enterprising spirit and recent construction management experience positioned his new company well.
Soon he landed other interesting construction projects, including the expansion of the sanctuary for the prominent Trinity Baptist church. He managed a major renovation of the historic Majestic Theatre to accommodate Broadway theatre productions and constructed several administrative buildings on the Sea World campus in San Antonio. These high-profile jobs led to other interesting projects managing the building of a network of radar towers for domestic and international security programs. By this time, building communications towers had become a highly
needed skill set, as the cellular industry was exploding. Novak’s company soon landed contracts to build networks of cell towers domestically in Texas and New Mexico, and internationally in Chile, Brazil, and Venezuela, all in total about five thousand towers.
Back in San Antonio, Novak’s business connections encouraged him to run for a seat on the Bexar County Commissioners Court. Utilizing his business and people skills, Novak served as Bexar County Commissioner of Precinct 4, from 1994 to 1998.
Novak’s commitment to public service has been the cornerstone of his career. He has served on numerous local boards including chairing the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce in 2004. Another notable role in his civic career was presiding as tri-chair of the high-stakes Military Transformation Taskforce (MTTF), an initiative to consolidate medical missions and facilities, and establish San Antonio as the center for all U.S. military medicine.
TFC Career
In 2011, Novak was appointed to serve as a commissioner for the Texas Facilities Commission (TFC). At that time, TFC was a small administrative agency with an operating budget of approximately $400 million managing mostly custodial and maintenance projects for state facilities. The leadership at the agency and composition of the TFC commission was evolving and leaders in state government were looking for a new vision for the agency as it would soon be embarking on the development of a new master plan for the Capitol Complex.
Novak recalls reluctantly taking the invitation for a meeting to discuss a commission position. The commission was poised for growth as the Texas economy was growing and state government would also need to expand its construction program to meet the business needs and services to citizens. The challenge appealed to Novak, who has always been committed to using his expertise and talent for public service. In 2011, Novak accepted the appointment to a seat on the Texas Facilities Commission.
During his tenure as a Commissioner, Novak worked with the TFC leadership team to review major projects including the master plan for the future of the Capitol Complex, and operational challenges of the agency. One of his favorite initiatives was the implementation of an energy management program to reduce utility costs in state facilities. “It’s the gift that keeps on giving,” Novak said about the energy savings program, “as once the investment is in place the cost savings continue to accrue.”
In 2018, the Commissioners were looking for a new strategic direction for the agency and staged a carefully planned change of the agency’s executive leadership. The executive director and key management staff positions became open, and a search committee was established to look for new talent. Finding an experienced leader with both construction expertise and political savvy was more difficult than expected. Ultimately, it became clear to the Commissioners that Novak’s background in commercial
construction and public service would provide the agency with the leadership needed for true transformation and asked him to step into a new role – Executive Director. Novak accepted the position of Executive Director in November 2018.
Novak quickly recruited a new leadership team to help refine the agency’s strategic vision and to set a plan in motion that would steadily grow the agency.
Key TFC Programs and Projects
Driven by Novak’s charismatic leadership, TFC has grown in skilled staff, administrative capacity, and technology expertise in every area of the organization. Novak’s entrepreneurial spirit and focus on “earning your reputation” and “promoting your brand” has transformed TFC into a top performing construction and development state agency. Today, TFC has a ~$6-billion-dollar project portfolio and a staff approaching five-hundred full time employees.
Many projects in the agency’s project portfolio are not high-profile but are critical to business continuity and the safety and security of state employees and the constituents they serve. Large or small, Novak reminds team members to be good stewards of public funds and to make tough, common-sense decisions to best serve the citizens of Texas.
An example of a common-sense decision was to divest underperforming buildings and assets from the TFC portfolio. Once a facility has served its useful life and becomes a cost burden to the state, the logical decision is to sell the property. Novak called this play twice at the helm of TFC. The first time was to sell the severely deteriorated Sutton building in San Antonio. The building had been vacant for years due to structural instability and renovations were too costly.
The second instance was putting the Hobby building up for sale. The aged Austin building had originally been purchased from a commercial developer and was not designed for the 100-year longevity standards of state facilities. The building was no longer suitable for the business needs of the state and was draining resources from the TFC real estate portfolio. Novak coordinated the plan to sell this unperforming asset and use the proceeds to complete the Capitol Complex project which required statutory approval by the legislature.
The Texas Border Wall Project
In June of 2021, Governor Abbott issued an emergency declaration activating Operation Lone Star. Governor Abbott tasked TFC with building the border wall along Texas’s southern border. This unique construction program involves installing permanent wall infrastructure in remote and often difficult terrain, using TFC project management and construction skills to complete a task once assigned to the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers.
construction plan. Key decisions like continuing with the previous wall design and materials shorten the program’s delivery times, prioritizing construction on state-owned land, and ramping up an outreach program to local landowners, fueled the momentum of the program. In just six months, from receiving the governor’s directive, TFC had erected the first segment of the Texas border wall.
The TFC border wall program team has completed its mission for Operation Lone Star, and they are now assisting with the program’s transition to the federal government to resume the responsibilities for constructing border barriers.
North Austin Complex
The North Austin Complex is the headquarters for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and its many programs. The campus sits at the corner of North Lamar and 45th Streets and across the street from the University of Texas intramural fields. During Novak’s tenure a master development plan for the future of this campus was created, and the first of three buildings was constructed on this site.
A nine-story, 406,000-square-foot office building was completed in 2021. The project included an adjacent seven-story parking garage for approximately 1,850 cars. This new state office building exemplifies a new standard in efficient, modern office space, designed to support a technologically dependent workforce.
Capitol Complex Phase I and Phase II
Photo of Phase I of the Capitol Complex Project.
Most professionals will remember one project as the legacy of their careers. The Capitol Complex redevelopment project is Novak’s most impressive legacy project. It began with the creation of a master plan for a government business campus that extends from 15th Street, on the south side of the capitol grounds to MLK Blvd, four blocks north along Congress Avenue. The intention of the master plan was to establish the best use of state-owned land, build modern and efficient office space to consolidate state offices into a central campus and reduce the cost of lease space. Another goal of the master plan was to create civic space with similar grandeur to the Texas Capitol grounds.
The Capitol Complex project is the largest project ever undertaken by TFC, and one of the largest projects in the Austin metro area. Phase I of the Capitol Complex projects was funded by the 85th Legislature, and appropriated $895 million for the redevelopment of three city blocks, and the addition of 1.5 million square feet of office space to the TFC portfolio. The project included the construction of two new office buildings, above and below-ground parking for state employees, a new central utility plant, and three blocks of an urban green space now known as the Texas Capitol Mall. This massive project required careful planning and logistical coordination, along with the relocation of utility lines in the way of the 65-foot-deep excavation of Congress Avenue. Phase I of the Capitol Complex was completed in 2022, and over twenty state agencies moved into the new George H.W. Building and the Barbara Jordan Building.
Rendering of Phase II of the Capitol Complex Project.
With the notable success of Phase I and the growing need for more state-owned office space, Phase II of the Capitol Complex master plan launched in 2023. This phase includes two additional state office buildings and the final city block of the Texas Capitol Mall. The first office building is at 1500 Congress Avenue at the gateway to the Capitol. It is a five-story 165,000-square foot building that will serve DPS and other state agencies. The second building is at 1501 Lavaca and will be 8-story tall and will provide office space for the Office of the Attorney General and the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations agency. Phase II will be ready for tenants in the summer of 2027.
“It’s not just a project – it is a transformational re-imagining of our entire Capitol Complex,” says Novak and adds, “this is an iconic project that will be a source of Texas civic pride for generations. My grandchildren and their children will enjoy this place.”
Building a Culture of Excellence
Perhaps the most important impact Novak’s leadership has had on the agency is fostering a culture of customer service and excellence. “At the end of the day, we are in the people business” is a notable “Novak-ism” heard in many internal meetings. He takes this to heart every day, as he greets staff by name each morning. His office is not lined with certificates, diplomas, and personal trophies, instead a large display monitor rotates photos of agency staff activities, service awards, and memorable moments at TFC.
Novak is often heard reminding staff “we strive for perfection and will settle for excellence.” These words have done more than motivate TFC team members, it has permeated through the agency’s work and processes and created a true culture of collaboration and continuous improvement. Novak has left his imprint on the heart and history of this agency.
Family: The Next Chapter
After a long and successful business and public service career, Novak’s next chapter will be about family. He and his wife have several trips abroad scheduled and plan to spend more time with their three sons and seven grandchildren.
Mike Novak and Former Deputy Director John Raff attend the bottoming out celebration for Phase I of the Capitol Complex with a view of the Texas State Capitol in the background.
Novak at ribbon cutting ceremony for Capitol Complex Project Phase I Central Utility Plant, the first facility completed in the Capitol Complex Project. Also shown from left to right are John Raff, William Allensworth, and Keith Hall.
Novak and the TFC Commissioners and the plaque dedication ceremony for the Texas Capitol Mall Phase 1.
Novak receives holiday cookies from the students of the School for the Deaf’s Culinary Academy.
Novak points at the signed beam before it is placed at the topping out ceremony for Phase Two of the Capitol Complex Project.
Executive Director Mike Novak attends his last TFC Commissioner’s meeting, October 2025.
Novak (center) with Joel Speight, COO and Marty Martinez, Director of Facilities Maintenance and Operations at TFC employee appreciation cookout.
Novak reviewing progress of the border wall program.
Novak addresses attendees at the Capitol Complex Project Phase 2 topping out ceremony August 2025.
