She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in education, focusing on assessment practices and gifted education. She also works with the University of Virginia as an adjunct instructor in its masters-level gifted endorsement series. Dr. Novak has served the National Association for Gifted Children in a variety of roles in the Professional Development Network, including Chair, Communications Chair, and, most recently, Program Chair. She has worked in public education in the gifted field as a classroom teacher, resource teacher, and central office support. She has also worked in the private, not-for-profit sector of gifted education as the academic director of the Summer Institute for the Gifted.