The National Council is a key leadership body of AFS-USA composed of volunteers and senior staff who work collaboratively, to address and advance the organizational priorities of AFS-USA. As of July 1, 2025, the council welcomed a new Chair and Vice-Chair, Patti Rounsevell (Chair) and Jessica Robinson (Co-Chair).
Both Patti and Jessica are active AFS-USA volunteers as well as members of the National Council. Patti was the former National Council Co-Chair and Jessica was the previous Chair of the Study Abroad Advisory Group. Here is a bit more about Patti and Jessica, including their history with AFS:
Patti with the YES program Turkish student she hosted in 2023-24. Sunset over the Aegean Sea behind them!
Patti Rounsevell
Patti grew up in an international family. Both parents came from small towns, but they raised their family in the Washington suburbs and took their family to live in Madrid twice. They wanted Patti to see the world, and encouraged her to participate in AFS, which they learned about through a friend who was a WWII ambulance driver. Patti went to Costa Rica on a summer program in 1966, and then her family hosted a student from Türkiye. After graduating from college, Patti lived in Madrid for a year and then attended a master’s program in Urban and Regional Planning at Cornell University.
Patti worked in community development for local government, then managed two private schools, and ended up owning a small business helping people deal with the accumulation of things they couldn’t take with them. Along the way, she married and had three children, who are now wonderful adults. Patti’s family began hosting AFSers in 1998, and have hosted more than 50 students since. Many of those were short term placements as they were the default emergency family in the area, but seven were long term, and most of them were terrific experiences.
Patti has worn several AFS volunteer hats, and is now the Support Coordinator in the Capital Area Team as well as serving as Vice Chair and now Chair of the National Council. Aside from helping AFS students, families, and volunteers, her favorite thing to do is knit.
Jessica Robinson
Jessica’s AFS journey began with a spark of inspiration at age 10, after her family hosted an exchange student from Italy. That experience ignited a dream by telling her mom after dropping off at the end of stay orientation: “I’m going to go abroad one day, too.” True to her word, Jessica spent a life-changing year in Germany through AFS and has been paying it forward ever since.
Since 2006, Jessica has worn many hats within AFS, including Orientation Coordinator, Returnee Coordinator, Liaison, Sending (Study Abroad) Coordinator, and Returnee Initiative Intern. She currently serves in the role of Vice Chair of the National Council.
Her time has also been spent across three area teams: Missouri Gateway, Columbia Pacific, and Dallas Area Team.
Outside of AFS, Jessica is a finance professional and program manager with expertise in retirement products. Whether she’s leading strategic initiatives in the workplace or fostering global citizenship through exchange, she brings passion, purpose, and a people-first mindset to everything she does.
When she’s not working or volunteering, you’ll find Jessica staying active with pickleball, run clubs, and pilates—or unwinding with her community of close friends and chosen family, preferably over a glass of Oregon Pinot.
In the 2025-2026 program year, Patti and Jessica will lead the National Council in promoting and hosting the upcoming Volunteer Summits. Unlike in previous years, where these summits were held nationally, this program year the decision was made to hold six regional Community Summits. By hosting more local summits, the hope is that more AFS volunteers will have the opportunity to participate and engage in these events.
The plan is to host six Community Summits held across the country in 2025-2026. The Community Summits will be held for either 1 or 2 days, and will engage the local teams and AFS-USA staff. Each of these gatherings will include sessions covering:
- Team development
- Hosting
- Participant support
More details about these Community Summits will be announced in the coming months. Until then we hope that you will take the opportunity to learn more about the National Council as well as other ways YOU, as an AFS volunteer, can be engaged on a national level. Click on these links below to learn more about:
