by Claire McGovern, Strategic Initiatives Associate, Pipeline
The first week of working with Pipeline threw me for a loop. My job is…fun! For a college student who has spent her time babysitting and bussing tables, attending a benefit concert like the GIRLS WHO ROCK event felt like anything but work. Armed with my press badge and flipcam, I took to the red carpet for Pipeline and interviewed the ladies of the evening. I began the dialogue of what a woman innovator could be:
“Ooh. A ‘woman innovator’….” She stroked her chin, considering the weight of that label. Ms. Shuyler certainly doesn’t have to look far to find a woman innovator. During a trip to Tanzania in 1996, Shuyler learned that only a small fraction of girls in Tanzania are able to obtain an education beyond the primary school level. In response to that experience, she founded AfricAid, which has already raised $600,000 dollars in its mission to support girls’ education in Africa. Being the humble woman innovator that she is, Ashley was quick to credit She’s the First founder Tammy Tibbetts and colleague Cynthia Hellen for the success of the event, noting Tibbetts and Hellen’s powerful network was the glue for the first annual GIRLS WHO ROCK concert. “How would you define the term ‘woman innovator’?” I asked Ashley Shuyler, the founder of AfricAid.
