President & CEO

Carleton B. Shephard is the President & Chief Executive Officer of CNS Global, and has led the expansion of its impact investment practice, including taking financial positions in the projects it supports around the world.

Prior to CNS, Mr. Shephard was the Senior Advisor to the Under Secretary for International Trade at the U.S. Department of Commerce, serving in that role for nearly five years. In that capacity, Mr. Shephard advised the Under Secretary and his senior staff on all matters of strategic planning, trade promotion, and policy implementation. Mr. Shephard managed the Under Secretary’s portfolio of international trade and policy missions and staffed the Under Secretary while on travel across 45 countries, serving as his chief liaison to headquarters and staff around the world.
 
Prior to joining the International Trade Administration, Mr. Shephard was the President of Insider Expeditions, a premier travel company that develops and leads curated trips around the globe for leading universities, non-profits, corporate clients, entrepreneurship groups, and mission-driven luminaries. Mr. Shephard started the company in 2006 and remains actively involved as its Founder. In his career in bespoke journeys, Mr. Shephard has developed or directed over 500 customized travel programs across all seven continents. 
 
Mr. Shephard graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Yale University and earned a Masters in International Relations and Public Administration while serving as a World Peace Fellow in Tokyo. Mr. Shephard was the youngest Peace Fellow of 60 selected from around the world in 2004 by Rotary International. Mr. Shephard speaks Spanish and Japanese.