University of Wisconsin-Madison HEAL Doctoral Fellow and Professor of American Indian Studies and Environmental Studies, Northland College
Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings is a member of the marten clan. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with degrees in anthropology, archaeology, environmental studies, and American Indian studies. Jennings completed his master’s degree from the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at UW-Madison.
Bizhikiins Jennings is a Bad River tribal member and a former tribal council member for the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Ojibwe, where he served two consecutive terms as an elected official. He also served as an appointed representative for the EPA region 5 Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC).
Jennings served two consecutive terms as an elected tribal council member for the Bad River Tribe. He served as the director of public information for the Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, which required him to be fluent in tribal/environmental news and issues. He was also a writer, photographer, and editor for the Mazina’igan newspaper.
Bizhikiins presents at many public engagements and schools throughout the Midwest on topics including:
- Traditional subsistence
- Sovereignty
- Tribal environmental perspective
- Cultural immersion
- Ojibwemowin
- Tribal historic preservation
- Food sovereignty
- Ojibwe curriculum
- Cultural identity
Dylan currently resides in Odanah, Wisconsin, with his family and is a University of Wisconsin-Madison HEAL Doctoral Fellow. Bizhkiins serves as a professor at Northland College in the American Indian Studies Department and Environmental Studies Department where he teaches Introduction to Ojibwe Language and Culture and American Environmental History.
He also serves as an appointed member of the Wisconsin Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change. Bizhikiins has been a recent recipient of the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development “40 under 40” award and a recipient of the UW-Madison Nelson Institute Rising Star Alumni award.