Project Team

Sarah Cummings

Research Fellow and PhD Supervisor
Wageningen University and Research

An experienced researcher-consultant-practitioner with a focus on knowledge in global development. She aims to have a positive social impact by changing policies, practices and understanding which reduce knowledge-related inequalities.

Juliet Erima

Lecturer, School of Information Sciences
Moi University

Dr. Juliet Awinja Erima is an Information Science lecturer at Moi University, School of IS, department of Library, Records Management and Information Studies, Kenya. With a PhD in Information Studies from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, Dr. Erima has published extensively on the intersections of technology, records and archives management. She is passionate about mentoring and equipping students with theoretical and application skills to enable them to effectively contribute to industry needs and expectations of the digital information management terrain.

Joshua Harris

Media Preservation Coordinator
University of Illinois

Gladys Kemboi

Graduate Assistant
University of Illinois

Gladys Kemboi is a PhD candidate in Information Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kemboi focuses on knowledge management for sustainable development, decolonization of knowledge, epistemic justice, strengthening knowledge partnerships, resource mobilization and grants writing, advancing local and Indigenous knowledge in development, and collaborating with leaders and partners across sectors and around the globe to build dynamic, equitable and sustainable knowledge ecosystems.

Maureen Kenga

Senior Librarian
State Department for Economic Planning

William Kilbride

Consultant
Executive Director
Digital Preservation Coalition

Joseph Kiplagat

Senior Lecturer, School of Engineering
Moi University

Villy Magero

Principal Records Management Officer
Nairobi City County Assembly

Villy is the technical lead of Records and Archives Management at the Nairobi City County Assembly, an Editorial Board Member at the International Council on Archives (ICA), a facilitator and member of the Kenya Association of Records Managers and Archivists (KARMA). She is driven to deliver on excellent and working Records Management programs.

Villy’s current research interest is on Preparedness for Implementation of Electronic Records Management Systems and their impact on service delivery in the devolved system of Governance in Kenya.

Ruby L Martinez

Project Coordinator
University of Illinois

Sami Meddeb

Archivist
Smart Tunisian Technoparks

Sami is responsible for archives at Smart Tunisia Technopark, attached to the Ministry of Technology, for 17 years. In 2019, we launched an initiative for the preservation and digitization of audio and video archives. For the past year, Sami has been working with a team of three engineers on a deepfake detection platform dedicated to audio and images.

Dr. Tshepho L Mosweu

Senior Lecturer, Department of Library and Information Studies
University of Botswana

Dr. Tshepho Mosweu is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Library and Information studies, University of Botswana, Botswana, where she teaches archives and records management modules. She serves as the Deputy Editor of the Journal of the South African Society of Archivists. Dr Mosweu has published academic papers in peer reviewed journals and book chapters on digital records, archives administration, electronic records management systems, liquid communication, cloud- computing, research methods and oral history.

Abraham Kiprop Mulwo, PhD

Dean, School of Information Sciences
Moi University

Florence Plockey, PhD

University Librarian
Accra Technical University

Chris Prom

Principal Investigator
Professor, University Library
University of Illinois

Daniel C Rotich, PhD

Professor, Department of Publishing, Journalism and Communication Studies
Moi University

William Schlaack

Digital Reformatting Coordinator & Coordinator for Digital Preservation Services
University of Illinois

Anna Smith

Pre-Professional Graduate Assistant, Digitization Services
University of Illinois

Anna Smith (she/her) is an MSLIS student at the University of Illinois. She is passionate about increasing access and accessibility in archives and special collections, with a focus on digitization and reparative metadata.

Thea Soter

Metadata Graduate Assistant
University of Illinois

Theadora Soter is a first-year graduate student working towards a master’s degree in library and information science at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. She plans to pursue a career in special collection librarianship upon graduation and is delighted to be a part of the Catalyzing African Community Archives for Social Good team.

Janis Shearer

Co-Principal Investigator
Public Services and Engagement Librarian, University Library
University of Illinois

Janis Shearer (she/her) is the Public Services and Engagement Librarian for the Funk Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences (ACES) Library. She serves as Head of the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center as well as liaison to Illinois Extension and Agricultural Leadership, Education & Communications. Her research interests include engagement practices of academic libraries with specific attention to where science libraries intersect with diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.

Angela Waarala

Digital Collections Project Manager, Digitization Services
University of Illinois

Angela Waarala oversees the University of Illinois Library’s Digital Special Collections and digitization of rare books, manuscripts, archives, maps, and transmissive materials. She collaborates with digitization experts, metadata specialists, archivists, librarians, and subject specialists in the production of digital surrogates to ensure their long-term preservation and access. She joined the library in 2008 and assumed her current role in Preservation Services in 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in photography from Illinois State University, a Master of Fine Arts, and a Master of Library and Information Science degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Karyn Williamson

Digital Preservation Analyst
Digital Preservation Coalition

Karyn holds a master’s degree in Archives and Records Management from the University of Dundee, a Post Grad Cert in Digital Information Management from University College Dublin and is a Registered Archivist. She is a Digital Preservation Analyst with the Digital Preservation Coalition and Campaign Manager for the Explore Your Archive Campaign.