Tech Community Grieves Over The Death Of White House Tech Advisor Jake Brewer 
 
 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 
 
 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. — Anil Dash (@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. ||||| A senior White House advisor was struck and killed by a car when he lost control of his bicycle while participating in a charity bike ride raising money to fight cancer. 
 
 Jacob Thomas Brewer, 34, was entering a sharp bend in Mt. Airy, Md., when the married father and senior policy advisor crossed into an oncoming car's lane late Saturday afternoon, Howard County police said. 
 
 Brewer, who has worked in the Office of the Chief Technology Officer since June and was expecting his second child, was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the 2008 Honda Pilot was not injured, police said. 
 
 Among those expressing their profound sadness by his sudden and tragic loss was President Obama who released a statement Sunday. 
 
 "Simply put, Jake was one of the best. Armed with a brilliant mind, a big heart, and an insatiable desire to give back, Jake devoted his life to empowering people and making government work better for them," he said. 
 
 "Michelle and I are praying for all of Jake's family and his many friends, most of all his wife, Mary Katharine Ham, their daughter, Georgia, and their growing family. They'll always have a family here at the White House," he said. 
 
 "Jake devoted his life to empowering people and making government work better for them." —@POTUS on Jake Brewer: pic.twitter.com/uX9Ewn3BXn — The White House (@WhiteHouse) September 20, 2015 
 
 His heartbroken, pregnant widow also expressed her anguish, saying "I will miss him forever, even more than I can know right now." 
 
 "I lost part of my heart and the father of my sweet babies. I don't have to tell most of you how wonderful he was. It was self-evident," she said in a statement. 
 
 "I will strive and pray not to feel I was cheated of many years with him, but cherish the gift of the years I had." 
 
 Mary Katharine additionally shared a recent photo showing herself with her husband and their 2-year-old daughter. In it, she writes: "All four members of our little, growing family are in it. I can never be without him because these babies are half him." 
 
 The Ride to Conquer Cancer — a two-day cycling trek raising money for cancer research programs — also released a statement while announcing the loss of one of their riders. 
 
 Jacob Thomas Brewer, 34, was struck and killed on his bike by an oncoming car during a cancer treatment fundraiser in Maryland on Saturday. (Jake Brewer via Facebook) 
 
 "All who are associated with the ride are deeply-saddened and our thoughts and prayers are with family and friends of the rider," they said in a statement posted to their website. 
 
 Brewer's mother, reached by the Washington Post, said her son — who lived in Alexandria, Va. — joined the charity ride because of a close friend who's battling cancer. 
 
 He "lived life large and tended to live life for other people," Lori Brewer Collins said. 
 
 Before joining the White House, Brewer lists himself online as having worked for Change.org and having attended Vanderbilt University in his home state of Tennessee. 
 
 A GoFundMe page has been created to help Brewer's family in their time of need. ||||| Add a location to your Tweets 
 
 When you tweet with a location, Twitter stores that location. You can switch location on/off before each Tweet and always have the option to delete your location history. Learn more ||||| On Tuesday, August 4, the White House hosted a Demo Day where we showcased the wide-ranging talents of innovators from across the country. Unlike a private-sector Demo Day, where entrepreneurs “pitch” their ideas to funders, innovators from around the country joined President Obama to “demo” their individual success stories and show why we need to give every American the opportunity to pursue their bold, game-changing ideas. 
 
 But we didn't want the day’s activity to be limited to events in Washington, DC. That’s why we encouraged entrepreneurs, innovation spaces, universities, and more to host their own Demo Day events and follow along live as we engage in a conversation about how we can ensure that everyone has access to the tools and resources they need to make their ideas a reality.
– President Obama has lost one of his top technology advisers—and Jake Brewer's colleagues say the world has lost a good man with great ideas. The 34-year-old senior policy adviser to the Office of the Chief Technology Officer was killed on Saturday when his bike went out of control during a cycling event in Maryland to raise money for a cancer charity, the Washington Post reports. In a statement tweeted by the White House, President Obama said he was "heartbroken" by the tragic loss. "Simply put, Jake was one of the best," he said. "Armed with a brilliant mind, a big heart, and an insatiable desire to give back, Jake devoted his life to empowering people and making government work better for them." Police say Brewer was pronounced dead at the scene after being hit by an oncoming vehicle during the Ride to Conquer Cancer, the New York Daily News reports. He worked in several key roles at Change.org before joining the Obama administration, where he worked on initiatives that included last month's White House Demo Day for tech entrepreneurs, reports TechCrunch. He had a 2-year-old daughter and his wife, Mary Katharine Ham, is pregnant with their second child, the Daily News reports. "I lost part of my heart and the father of my sweet babies. I don't have to tell most of you how wonderful he was. It was self-evident," she wrote in a moving Instagram post. "I will strive and pray not to feel I was cheated of many years with him, but cherish the gift of the years I had. ... Please pray that he can see us and we'll all make him proud. God, I love him."