When Dr. Jennifer Kibicho tells MATC students to “cut your coat according to your cloth,” she is repeating advice her father gave her while growing up in a small village in Kenya. Now an Economics professor and mentor, she teaches her students that ambition starts with discipline, a lesson that has shaped her own career. Kibicho’s journey from rural Kenya to Milwaukee classrooms highlights the resilience and leadership being recognized during Women’s History Month.
Kibicho was born in the village of Kabonge, which lies on the slopes of Mount Kenya. Her father was the first to bring electricity to their village when she was still in primary school.
Introducing modernization to Kabonge is only part of the imprint left on Kibicho by her father. She describes him as “a servant leader,” and despite his success as an attorney and parliament member, she says he recognized the “thin line between arrogance and humility” throughout his life.
Kibicho began adopting the ambitious philosophies instilled by her father early in her childhood education. She recalls that as a child she had “very expensive taste,” and she repeats her father’s words in every classroom she teaches in: “Cut your coat according to your cloth.” So she decided to “work very hard to cut a bigger cloth” because she “wanted a bigger coat.”
She admits, “I became an economist because I failed Economics.” Kibicho received a D grade in her economics class and as a result did not qualify for law school — her original career plan inspired by her father. Her ambition drove her to master the same subject that hindered her.
She attended the University of Nairobi for her undergraduate degree and worked briefly as an auditor. She then pursued a Master’s degree in Economics at the University of Botswana before moving to the United States to pursue further education. She earned a PhD in Health Economics from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan.
A postdoctoral fellowship at the Medical College of Wisconsin brought Kibicho to Milwaukee, where she worked at the Center for AIDS Intervention Research. She credits the mentorship of Steven Pinkerton in forming her into the scholar and researcher she is today. He helped her receive extramural funding and publish her dissertation work that focused on collecting data on the role of pharmacists in promoting medication adherence in HIV patients. This study was published in Health Affairs, one of her “pride and joys” and the product of her fellowship.
In Health Economics, Kibicho found inspiration to continue research on the spread of HIV, specifically in Africa, which had one of the highest rates of HIV infection at the time. In multiple studies and fellowships, she focused not only on the role of pharmacists, but the root causes of why HIV was so prevalent in African Women.
Kibicho found that the risk of HIV was much higher among women and girls compared to men in Sub Saharan Africa. She collected data that studied risk factors like violence, poverty, and alcohol misuse. She aimed for her research to show the cost of “hospitalizations, premature death, [and] loss in productivity” to society.
As an economist, she used this “data-driven approach” to write a story that advocates for women and helps better inform politicians and leaders on the importance of addressing HIV transmission and treatment. Due to research and extensive advancements in technology, the prevalence of HIV in Sub Saharan Africa has decreased significantly in the last few years.
When Kibicho was awarded the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship for the second time, she participated in a mentorship program for PhD students in Kenya. She explains that only “four percent of [Kenyan] students who start their PhD are able to finish their PhD within a reasonable time,” and that is why she felt “called to go back.”
She emphasizes that “nobody arrives at the mountaintop by themselves. You have to have other people holding you … it takes a village.” One of those people for Kibicho was Dr. Sandra Underwood. She explains, “my story at UWM cannot be written without inserting her name because she was the person who spoke for me. She’s the one who guided me. She’s the one who shepherded me through this time.”
She considers one of her greatest accomplishments to be being voted Director of District 35 within Toastmasters, an international organization that educates its members on communication and leadership skills. This victory, however, did not come without opposition.
A previous director ran against Kibicho in an effort to block her from holding this position. She recalls, “One of the past district directors told me ‘Jennifer step down. Don’t run, just concede.’ I said, ‘No, I’m not going to do that.’ So I fought, and I became the district director.”
Today, she gives credit to Tatiana Davidson, her current mentor, and her two mentees for keeping her motivated professionally. She advises, “You will always need mentors,” and suggests having three at all times — one who is “above you to be able to help you get to where you want to go,” one who is “at the same level as you for peer-to-peer accountability,” and “somebody who you need to raise up.” She highlights the importance of communication training, specifically in Toastmasters, for creating a voice that cannot be ignored.
During Women’s History Month, Kibicho’s story is a testament to the impact of women educators who turn obstacles into opportunities for others. She continues to curate her legacy through research, mentorships, students, and her children. The bigger coat she worked hard for is now large enough to cover others.
