About Us

The 1stFriday.com website is a joint venture between First Fridays of the Bay Area, LLC and 1stFriday.com, Inc. 1stFriday.com, Inc. runs the web operations of the First Fridays of the Bay Area chapter.

The 1stFriday.com website is intended to meet the myriad of local needs of African-Americans: professional networking, social networking, local business and event information, and services referrals.

First Fridays of the Bay Area, LLC has been producing First Fridays social and professional networking events since 1992. Its flagship event is the First Fridays White Party in August, which attracts over 3,500 people each year. It is the number one social event for African-Americans in Northern California. Deanna Roberts and Daryle Whyte are partners who run First Fridays of the Bay Area. Together, they have produced over 200 First Fridays events over the last 17 years.

1stFriday.com, Inc. is a start-up online media and social networking company, targeting the African-American audience. Using Web 2.0 tools, 1stFriday.com helps build strong, vibrant, local online communities of African-Americans. Jay Ward is CEO of 1stFriday.com, Inc.

First Fridays of the Bay Area

Deanna Roberts, Partner: Deanna Roberts is a nationally recognized event planner. For over 10 years, Deanna has successfully planned and publicized events ranging from weddings to inner-city children?s activities to corporate and sporting events. She has coordinated all aspects of an event (Alameda Alliance), coordinated and produced sporting events (Oakland Raiders Half-Time Show), arranged for celebrity speakers and sponsors (NBA Wives Fashion Show & Gala Fundraiser), marketed and publicized events (New York Playhouse Presents Bring In Da Noise, Bring In Da Funk), planned and coordinated weddings, and taught event planning courses. Deanna is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley.

Daryle Whyte, Partner: Daryle Whyte is a Vice President with Alta Alliance Bank in Oakland. He is responsible for developing and maintaining the banks relationships with small to medium size businesses. Daryle is also Chairman of The 100 Black Men of the Bay Area, Inc., a prominent non-profit organization that is committed to the development of African-American youths and communities. Daryle is a former Field Sales Engineer, having started his career at Intel, Inc. after graduating from Purdue University with an M.S. in electrical engineering.