besides her academic appointments, mcafee has also founded and directed the council for public media in austin, texas, from 1991 to 1995, on the board of the national writers united service organization from 1995 to 1997, as a board member of public deliberation '96, as an advisor for various research projects and in various other politically minded roles since. she began to serve as a consultant to the kettering foundation in 1988, and continues to do so.