Gladys Kemboi is a Maggie Weaver LLEAD Fellow and a PhD candidate in Information Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kemboi, who holds a bachelor's degree in information studies from The Technical University of Kenya (major in knowledge management) and a master's degree in information and knowledge management from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, has over a decade of experience as a knowledge manager and Communities of Practice leader. She has received numerous accolades in information and knowledge management, including the 2024 Digital Preservation Coalition (DPC) Fellowship Award in the UK for her significant contributions to preserving digital legacies that promote local and Indigenous knowledge in development across Kenya and Africa. Kemboi was the first recipient of the Maggie Weaver LLEAD Fellow. She was recognized as the Highly Commended Knowledge Manager of the Year in 2021 by CILIP, UK, for exemplary knowledge management practices benefiting "an equal, democratic, and prosperous society." In 2020, she was named the Most Influential Knowledge Management Ambassador in Kenya.
Kemboi has been working with the Knowledge Management for Development (KM4Dev) community since 2020 to establish knowledge partnerships and advocate for knowledge decolonization in international development. Kemboi 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.
