by Claire McGovern, Strategic Initiatives Manager, Pipeline 

Deep in the heart of Brooklyn lies a credit union like no other. Brooklyn Cooperative opened its doors in 2001 on a mission to innovate the relationship between banks and customers. Unlike a bank—where the owners may be a completely different group of people than those who actually use the bank’s services—a credit union is owned by the people who use it on a day-to-day basis. Allison Lynch is the COO of Brooklyn Cooperative.

Edited by: Jessica Kelley, Pipeline #womaninnovator Video Editor, Pipeline

Allison’s development work experience spans the health and economic sectors and has been both domestic and international in scope.  

As we sat discussing her career pipeline, her passion for her work is obvious. “I’m not the type of person who can just sit by and not take action when there is a need,” she said. That attitude explains her history with Pipeline’s Incubator Lab. Allison launched the Incubator Lab to develop a space for and offer more resources to women innovators. “There were so many interesting and exciting women who had great ideas,” she recalled. “Coming together in a community in a structured way, we could do more than we could do separately.”

Watch the interview to find out more about Brooklyn Cooperative, Allison’s advice to other women innovators, and her definition of a woman innovator!

Claire McGovern is Pipeline’s Strategic Initiatives Manager. Her responsibilities include overseeing Pipeline’s social media presence, content creation, volunteer management, and producing the #womaninnovator video series. As she completes her senior year at Fordham University studying English and Women’s Studies, Claire looks forward to continuing to meet inspiring women innovators, sharing their stories, and documenting her journey through her own career pipeline.