Dina Gilio-Whitaker is an American academic, journalist, and author whose work centers on Native Americans in the United States, decolonization, and environmental justice. She is a direct descendant of the Colville Confederated Tribes, with Okanogan and Sinixt ancestry. Gilio-Whitaker pursued higher education later in life, studying at the University of New Mexico. Her master's thesis explored Indigenous American protests against development on sacred land.

Her academic career includes lecturing in American Indian Studies at California State University San Marcos. She advocates for an "indigenized environmental justice" framework, which emphasizes understanding environmental issues through the lens of colonization and land dispossession. Gilio-Whitaker is also a senior research associate at the Center for World Indigenous Studies and runs her own consulting company. A surfer, she has also been involved with various organizations supporting indigenous communities and environmental causes.

Dina Gilio-Whitaker is recognized for her academic contributions to the study of Native Americans, decolonization, and environmental justice. Her scholarly framework of "indigenized environmental justice" is central to her work. This approach calls for an understanding of environmentalism that acknowledges the historical context of colonization, including the dispossession of Indigenous peoples and their lands. Gilio-Whitaker argues that this historical perspective is crucial for comprehending the ongoing struggles faced by Native communities in environmental matters. She has lectured on these topics and published extensively, contributing to a deeper understanding of the intersection between Indigenous rights and environmental stewardship.

A significant theme in Gilio-Whitaker's writing and research is the concept of decolonization and its implications for Indigenous identity. As a descendant of the Colville Confederated Tribes, she brings a personal and ancestral perspective to her work. Her writings often address the historical impacts of settler colonialism on Native Americans and challenge common misconceptions about Indigenous peoples. Gilio-Whitaker's upcoming book, "Who Gets to Be Indian?: Ethnic Fraud, Disenrollment, and other Difficult Conversations about Native American Identity," directly confronts complex issues surrounding identity, authenticity, and belonging within Native communities. This focus highlights her commitment to exploring the nuanced realities of Indigenous existence in contemporary society.