Founder & Board Chair

Michael C. Bannister Sr. grew up in Lincoln Heights, Ohio, and graduated from Princeton High School in 1991. From an early age, he gravitated toward non-traditional paths, participating in music, swim, and water polo rather than conventional school sports. While in high school, he also attended Scarlet Oaks Vocational School for cosmetology, a decision that shaped his entrepreneurial path.

Since 1991, Michael has worked as a professional hairstylist and has owned and operated Michael James Salon LLC since 2008. He also owns a small baking business, The Buttery B, specializing in pound cakes, and previously served three years as President of his community homeowners association.

Michael’s passion for archery developed through deer hunting and personal practice. While shooting in his backyard, he discovered the quiet focus and mental clarity archery demands and recognized its value for youth who lack access to calm, character-building activities. That experience led to the founding of City Archers in 2024.

Michael is a certified S3DA and USA Archery Instructor. Through City Archers, he has taught archery with 4H, Community Montessori, Cincinnati Public Schools, including Withrow University High School, Dater Montessori, Fairview-Clifton German Language School, and Evanston Junior High School, as well as summer camps at Evendale Park.

His vision is to see archery established as a recognized high school sport across Greater Cincinnati, providing students with a legitimate pathway to college scholarships without the physical barriers or injury risks of traditional athletics.

Vice Chair

Danielle Ivory is an experienced operations executive with more than two decades in financial services. She began her career at Ohio National Financial Services in 2001 and advanced to Senior Vice President of Operations by 2019. After the company’s demutualization, Danielle transitioned into consulting and now supports small business owners through her firm, Ivory Towers.

Danielle serves on multiple nonprofit and civic boards, including the Greater Cincinnati Urban League, Cincinnati ArtsWave, ArtsWave Flow, BT Rise, and City Archers. She is also a member of the Cincinnati Women’s Executive Forum.

In 2022, Danielle was named Business Leader of the Year by Northern Kentucky University’s College of Business. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Northern Kentucky University and an MBA from Xavier University. She resides in West Chester, Ohio, and is a dedicated advocate for community impact and organizational excellence.

Secretary

Stanford T. Williams Jr. is a retired senior executive with more than 35 years of experience guiding public, private, and employee-owned organizations through strategic growth and transformation. His career includes leadership in management, supplier diversity, workforce development, and large-scale operational redesign.

Stanford previously served as Executive Vice President and Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer at Messer Construction, a leading employee-owned construction management firm with over $2.2 billion in annual revenue. Throughout his career, he has directed multimillion-dollar initiatives and led governance efforts across nonprofit, foundation, and corporate boards.

He has served on more than 35 boards and chaired 11 of them, bringing deep experience in governance, accountability, and organizational stewardship. Stanford currently serves on the boards of City Archers and the Goering Center for Family and Private Businesses.

Board Member

Lawrence W. “Larry” James brings nearly 40 years of executive leadership experience across corporate, nonprofit, and healthcare sectors. He retired in 2016 as Vice President and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Mercy Health in Cincinnati.

Prior to Mercy Health, Larry served as Senior Director of Community Relations and Local Marketing Programs at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and as President and CEO of L.W. James & Associates. His career includes leadership roles with Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Borden’s, Ross/Abbott Labs, LensCrafters, Choice Care/Humana, and Atrium Medical Center.

Larry is known for his clear, direct approach to strategy, organizational development, and execution.

Treasurer

John Merchant Jr. serves as Treasurer of City Archers, providing financial oversight and accountability. His role ensures responsible stewardship of resources as the organization expands programs, partnerships, and long-term funding initiatives.

Board Member

Sean Parker is the founder of Forged Impact, a civic technology platform that helps funders, nonprofits, and local governments track the flow of public and philanthropic capital to frontline outcomes.

Previously, Sean served as Executive Director of Main Street Ventures, leading grant deployment to underrepresented entrepreneurs in Greater Cincinnati. He has also held senior communications and strategy roles at Nike, Kroger, Fifth Third Bank, and Procter & Gamble, specializing in financial communications, executive visibility, ESG strategy, and crisis response.

Board Member

William Lawson III serves on the Board of City Archers, supporting the organization’s mission to expand access, opportunity, and long-term outcomes for youth through archery.