A Civic Rite

of Passage

What We Do

Adventure, connection,
COMMUNITY pride

American Exchange Project gives graduated high school seniors the chance to participate in a unique adventure: The summer after graduating, they’ll spend one week discovering a new American town and a second week rediscovering their own. All of the essentials for both weeks—meals, flights, activities, lodging, transportation—are covered in full. 

Our program was founded in 2019 as a nonpartisan solution to growing divisions in our country. We have designed these transformative and immersive experiences to create lasting connections between Americans from different backgrounds, foster deeper empathy among neighbors, and give young adults the chance to see themselves and their country in new ways. 

And that’s exactly what’s happening.

But don’t take our word for it—watch for yourself below.

Why We Do It

Adventure, Meet Purpose

Generations of young Americans are growing up without a sense of what it means to be civically-engaged citizens. They’re also missing out on opportunities to connect with others across lines of racial, economic, and ethnic difference by staying tethered to their towns. It was in those realities that we saw an opportunity: What if we developed a coming-of-age program rooted in experiential adventure, connection, and discovery? A chance for any young adult to learn more about our country and the people who call it home, with no financial barrier to entry?

American Exchange Project is built on the belief that somewhere between the white water rafting and the skyscraper ogling, the rodeo excursions and the tours of the Lincoln Memorial, the finger-licking barbecue and the beach cleanups, lies the key to unlocking a sense of belonging that’s essential to our democracy.

“Under bright stars, over bonfire s’mores, and surrounded by cornfields, I had some of the most eye-opening and interesting conversations of my life that altered my perception of those from rural communities. …this experience has changed me in more ways than I am aware of.”
— —David (Palo Alto, California → Blue Earth, Minnesota)

  • Our Vision

    It’s simple but big: to create a more connected America by making domestic exchanges a staple of American culture. These adventures will always be free because we believe they’re a public necessity and a public good.

    Give to the Vision

  • Our Goal

    We want millions of young adults to encounter adventure, connection, and transformation through free domestic exchanges. The idea is for American Exchange Project to become as common as the prom. 

    Get Involved

  • Our Values

    Creating lasting relationships across lines of difference is at the very heart of what we do, and we’re leveraging the impact of shared experiences to affect culture-shifting change. Our values overflow from that starting point.

    Learn More

National Staff

  • David McCullough III, Co-Founder and CEO of the American Exchange Project.

    David McCullough III

    Cofounder and CEO

  • Michael Wilonsky

    Michael Wilonsky

    Chief Operations Officer

  • Christopher Cooper, Chief of Staff at the American Exchange Project.

    Christopher Cooper

    Chief of Staff

  • Giselle Ferro Puigbo, Chief Revenue and Development Officer at the American Exchange Project.

    Giselle Ferro Puigbo

    Chief Revenue and Development Officer

  • Marielle Wakim, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer at the American Exchange Project.

    Marielle Wakim

    Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

  • Adar Cohen, Chief Design Officer at the American Exchange Project.

    Adar Cohen

    Chief Design Officer

  • Ryan Brasseaux, Chief Impact Officer at the American Exchange Project.

    Ryan Brasseaux

    Chief Impact Officer

  • Lacey Buck

    Lacey Buck

    Vice President, Operations

  • Rosie Martel-Foley, Vice President of Revenue and Development at the American Exchange Project.

    Rosie Martel-Foley

    Vice President, Revenue and Development

  • Jessica Golden, Director of Community Relations at the American Exchange Project.

    Jessica Golden

    Director, Community Relations

  • Ryan Kenney, Director of Community Development at the American Exchange Project.

    Ryan Kenney

    Director, Community Development

  • Claire Jeantheau, Senior Manager of Marketing and Communications at the American Exchange Project.

    Claire Jeantheau

    Sr. Manager, Marketing and Communications

  • Myles Blackwell, Technology Manager and Salesforce Administrator at the American Exchange Project.

    Myles Blackwell

    Technology Manager and Salesforce Administrator

  • Sholeh Prochello, Operations Manager at the American Exchange Project.

    Sholeh Prochello

    Operations Manager

  • Aislinn Moore, Community Recruitment Team Leader at the American Exchange Project.

    Aislinn Moore

    Community Recruitment Team Leader

  • Charlotte Kadifa, Executive Assistant to the CEO at the American Exchange Project.

    Charlotte Kadifa

    Executive Assistant to the CEO

Board of Directors

  • Paul Solman, Co-Founder and Chair of the Board at the American Exchange Project.

    Paul Solman

    Cofounder and Chair of the Board

  • David McCullough III, Co-Founder and CEO of the American Exchange Project.

    David McCullough III

    Cofounder and CEO

  • David Adams, CEO of The Urban Assembly and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    David Adams

    CEO, The Urban Assembly

  • Akhil Amar, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale University and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Akhil Amar

    Sterling Professor of Law, Yale University

  • Jonathan Fanton, Former President of The MacArthur Foundation and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Jonathan Fanton

    Former President, The MacArthur Foundation

  • Sarah Gerstein, Major in the United States Army and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Sarah Gerstein

    Major in the United States Army

  • Richard Gibson, Pastor of Elizabeth Baptist Church of Cleveland and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Richard Gibson

    Pastor, Elizabeth Baptist Church of Cleveland

  • Arlie Hochschild, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at UC Berkeley and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Arlie Hochschild

    Professor Emeritus of Sociology, UC Berkeley

  • Mitch Kamin, Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Los Angeles and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Mitch Kamin

    Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Los Angeles

  • Glenn Young, Pastor of First Baptist Church of Kilgore and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Glenn Young

    Pastor, First Baptist Church of Kilgore

  • Glenn Sonnenberg, President of Latitude Real Estate Holdings and Board Member of the American Exchange Project.

    Glenn Sonnenberg

    President, Latitude Real Estate Holdings

Our Supporters

With gratitude and appreciation, we recognize our 2025 supporters

our supporters
“At first, my teacher told me, ‘There are some students who start crying when they say goodbye.’ I was like, ‘Why am I going to cry for some strangers?’ But now I can say that meeting those strangers was pretty life-changing.”
— —Oswaldo (Dodge City, Kansas → Los Angeles, California)

Get in Touch

contact us

America
the Beautiful

Learn more about our partner communities and Exchange Managers

LET’S GO →

Students walking together on a forest trail during an American Exchange Project exchange week.