Host parent France 1982-83, Cyprus 1989-90, Pakistan 2012-13; Sending parent Fl Belgium 1989-90, New Zealand, 1990; Teacher-Leader Russia 1995, 1997; Teacher-Leader Japan, 2018
Ms. Yancey is a retired educator who taught middle and high school English in Alexandria, VA, and was a teacher, speech and debate coach, and assistant principal at Parkway South High School in Manchester, MO. For nearly fifty years, Sarah Yancey has held local and national volunteer leadership positions in international educational exchange and intercultural learning and is the recipient of prestigious awards including the US Department of State’s Millennium International Volunteer Award, and is a Galatti Award US nominee, selected from and by her volunteer colleagues throughout the nation.
Sarah began serving AFS-USA on a national level in 1995 and 1997 as the educational leader for two School Linkage exchanges from the U.S. to Tver, Russia, and later as U.S. leader of the AFS-USA Workgroup to India and the AFS Workgroup to Japan. Throughout her prestigious career in international service, Sarah held several national leadership positions with the AFS-USA organization on the Sponsored Program Advisory Group, Outreach to Educators workgroup, Strategic Planning team, as an AFS-USA Board Member, Vice-Chair, and now as the current Chair of the Board of Directors for AFS-USA.
Sarah’s passion for intercultural learning began in 1964 when she participated in an American University two-month program in the USSR and Eastern bloc countries, and since then she has served as an exemplary leader. Her introduction to AFS Intercultural Programs began in the 1970’s in Alexandria, VA where she met a Turkish-Cypriot student. Her family hosted a Greek-Cypriot student, a French student, and Sarah sent her own children to study abroad with AFS in Flemish Belgium and New Zealand. In 2012-13, Sarah and her husband hosted a Pakistani KL-YES student. In Missouri Gateway, Sarah has served as a volunteer leader in many critical areas such as Sponsored Program coordinator, AFS Liaison, School Relations Coordinator, and Volunteer Coordinator.
Sarah received her B.A. from St. Andrews Presbyterian College (NC) and M. Ed. from the University of Virginia. Sarah lives with her husband, Bob, in St. Louis, Missouri.
