David C. Novak — Board Member Accountability Profile
Category: Private Citizen — Corporate Director Role: Independent Director, Comcast Corporation (CMCSA) Board Tenure: 2016 – present Committee Memberships: Compensation and Human Capital Committee Profile Type: Board Member Accountability — Anchor B (Documented Organizational Leadership)
Basis for Inclusion: David C. Novak holds a documented governance role as an independent director and Compensation Committee member at Comcast Corporation, which made documented political donations to Trump-aligned entities. Note: Per the proxy, Novak is expected to depart the Comcast board upon completion of the SpinCo spin-off, as he will join the SpinCo board. This profile documents the factual governance relationship, not the subject’s personal political views.
Subject Classification: Private Citizen / Corporate Director. Board membership is a matter of public record (SEC filings, proxy statements). This profile documents only the governance role and its connection to documented corporate political activity.
Biographical Overview
David C. Novak is the Founder of David Novak Leadership, a leadership development organization, and co-founder of OGO (Ought to Give Others). He served as Chairman and CEO of YUM! Brands — the parent company of KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell — from 1997 to 2016, building it into one of the world’s largest restaurant companies. He is the bestselling author of Taking People With You and O Great One!
Novak joined the Comcast board in 2016. Per the 2025 proxy, he is expected to join the board of SpinCo — Comcast’s proposed spin-off of its cable networks including MSNBC and CNBC — when that transaction completes, at which point he would depart the Comcast board. His Compensation Committee role has given him oversight of Comcast’s executive compensation structure during a period of major corporate transformation.
Board Role and Governance Authority
- Company: Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA)
- Board tenure: 2016 – present (expected to join SpinCo board upon transaction close)
- Committee assignments: Compensation and Human Capital Committee
Factual correction requests: If you believe information in this profile is incorrect, please contact factcheck@patriot.university with your name (optional), the specific claim, and any supporting documentation. We review all submissions and correct verified errors promptly.
Investigative trail pointers (public records)
Education only — verify independently. Absence of hits is not proof.
| Channel | Starting points |
|---|---|
| Federal courts | CourtListener / PACER party and attorney searches (spelling variants) |
| Campaign finance | FEC + OpenSecrets for committees and donors tied to documented roles |
| Corporate / LLC | State secretary of state; OpenCorporates for cross-border shells from reporting |
| Sanctions / PEP | OpenSanctions when international business context is already sourced |
| Contracts / grants | USAspending.gov for named entities from investigations |
Use public-records-research-specialist, corporate-intelligence-investigator, and public-corruption-ombudsman evidence tiers.
Sources
- Comcast Corporation DEF 14A Proxy Statement, filed April 2025; SEC EDGAR (CIK 1166691)