Lisl Schöpflin

Dr. Lisl Schöpflin is a mother, historian, and author. She was born and raised near the Pacific Ocean in San Diego, CA by her Austrian mother and German father. She joined the Panta Rhea Foundation board in 2008 and became chair and president in 2017. She also serves as deputy chair of the Schöpflin Foundation based in Lörrach, Germany since 2025; trustee for the Spore Initiative in Berlin, Germany; and trustee for Casa Gallina in Mexico City, Mexico. She served from 2018-2023 as trustee and has co-facilitated family giving solidarity circles for the Solidaire Network in the USA. Over the years she has been involved in grantmaking and donor organizing efforts, networks, and trainings, including experimentations with transformational and participatory grantmaking practices.

Lisl completed her BA in Anthropology and Theater Arts at the University of Pennsylvania and MA and PhD in Latin American History at UCLA. Her research and publications focus on Indigenous and colonial history and social memory practices of the Americas, particularly in the Andean region.

She currently lives in Mexico City with her family. She loves spending time in nature, traveling, skiing, camping, dancing, reading, trying her hand at the guitar and piano, and – most of all – being with her two sons and husband.