CEO biking across America stops in Charlottesville

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The CEO of OpenGov is bicycling across America to raise awareness about the importance of civic engagement and to promote his software company.

Zachary Bookman’s journey brought him to Charlottesville City Hall Tuesday, November 2.

“We’re raising money for the Sandra Day O’Connor Institute. We believe that there’s a lot of different layers of democracy in our country: there are cities, there are counties, there are state agencies, as well as the federal government. The more we know, the more educated we are, the more involved we are, the more participatory our democracy is, the better and stronger it’s going to be,” the CEO said.

Bookman started the ride in September, and now has just a few days until he reaches the Atlantic Ocean. He has been meeting with local city officials in each state he has passed to talk about his software.

What did he learn after biking almost 4,000 miles?

“We have a big country with a lot of different cultures and geographies, and the more we embrace it, I think, the better we’ll be,” he said.

Bookman now has less than 200 miles left and expects to reach Chesapeake Bay by Thursday.

Copyright 2021 WVIR. All rights reserved.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.