Jake Brewer, an avid cyclist and a senior policy advisor to U.S. Chief Technology Officer Megan Smith, passed away during a charity bike ride this weekend.
Brewer, 34, of Alexandria, died Saturday afternoon when his bicycle went out of control at a sharp curve while on a two-day, 150-mile bike ride to cure cancer, the Washington Post reported.
Brewer worked on several tech initiatives and recently on the White House Demo Day. He led global policy, external affairs, and new product development for Change.org before joining the Obama administration.
“We set out to recruit the best of the best to join their government and help us harness the power of technology and data to innovate new solutions for the 21st century. Simply put, Jake was one of the best,” wrote President Obama in a statement Sunday.
Many in the tech community and those who worked closely with Brewer have tweeted their condolences.
The impact of @jakebrewer on the government will be felt for the next century. https://t.co/21c4fz49Xr
— DJ Patil (NARA) (@DJ44) September 20, 2015
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From our first conversation years ago to our last a few days ago, every time I spoke to @jakebrewer, he focused on how to help people.
— anildash.com (@anildash) September 20, 2015
On hearing of @jakebrewer’s death, I take some comfort in Wallace Stevens Esthetique du Mal pic.twitter.com/VeUfoZ2fm7
— Tim O'Reilly (@timoreilly) September 20, 2015
Brewer’s wife Mary Katharine Ham also posted an emotional message about the tragedy on her Instagram:
Brewer is survived by his wife and young daughter. Family and friends launched a GoFundMe memorial project to create an educational fund in his honor.
