PhD student Gladys Kemboi has received the 2025 Research and Advocacy Social Justice Award from the Office of Diversity & Social Justice Education in the Office of Student Affairs. She was presented with the award at the Social Justice Awards Ceremony, which was held on April 8 in the Illini Union. The annual event honors and celebrates the work and dedication of University of Illinois community members seeking to create a more inclusive and equitable campus.
Kemboi focuses on the decolonization of knowledge, epistemic justice, advancing local and Indigenous knowledge in development, and collaborating with leaders and partners across sectors and around the globe to build dynamic and equitable knowledge ecosystems. She holds a bachelor's degree in information studies from The Technical University of Kenya and master's degree in information and knowledge management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Since 2020, Kemboi has been working with the Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev) community to establish knowledge partnerships and advocate for knowledge decolonization in international development. She previously worked at Jhpiego, a nonprofit organization for international health, where she developed knowledge management strategies and Community of Practice for various countries. Her professional contributions include implementing the Global Coalition Knowledge Management Strategy on Youth, Peace and Security with the United Nations Development Programme and working with the Visions of Hope for Africa charity in developing the knowledge management strategy on local resource mobilization and sustainable partnership in the U.S. and Africa. Her recent honors include the 2024 Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) Fellowship Award and Maggie Weaver Joy of Information Fellowship.