Danielle Sydnor is CEO of the newly formed Rise Together Innovation Institute a capstone of a larger, Franklin county-funded strategic plan to help an estimated 400,000-plus county residents find paths toward economic stability. Danielle worked in banking since 2002, including National City Bank, MBNA and Bank of America, with experience in retail banking and management experience in credit card sales, service and lending. Danielle became licensed as a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch in 2011. She continues to draw from all her professional experiences to build genuine relationships where clients, partners and the community can benefit.

Danielle is the immediate past President of the Greater Cleveland Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Sydnor is a Commissioner on the Columbus Women’s Commission, a member on the board of Board of Trustees at Eliza Bryant, and Freedom Equity CDFI. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Phoenix. Danielle is a proud recipient of Crain’s Cleveland 2019 40 Under 40 and a graduate of the 2020 class of Leadership Ohio. Danielle is a native of Sacramento, California. Her family moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1995. She has since proudly deepened her roots in Ohio. She has two sons, Noah and Giles, who are both away at college.