CPI Leadership
Leadership Team
Steven Shepard
President/Director
Steven is the founder of CPI. He served as a church-planting missionary in Mexicali, Mexico, a pastor in Toledo, OH, and is now the full-time president of CPI. Steven holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in International Studies from the University of Ohio. He and his wife, Christy, have six children and currently reside in Fort Mill, SC.
Preston Smith
Administrative Support
Preston has a master’s degree in theology from Regent University and has worked for 20+ years in corporate marketing and public relations. He lives in Fort Mill, SC, with his wife, Sarah, and their three children.
Board of Directors
Brian Navarette – Chairman
Brian is a pilot with Delta Airlines. He currently serves as a deacon at his church and has been on several missions trip to Peru with CPI. Brian and his wife, Kelly, have two children and reside in Toledo, OH.
Gary Ackerman
Gary is an agribusiness owner outside of Toledo, OH. He has studied music and Bible and has been a frequent participant of CPI missions trips to Tepic, Mexico. Gary lives in Oregon, OH, with his wife Carolyn and their three children.
Sarah Smith
Sarah serves as a full-time homeschool teacher and part-time birth doula. She has a certificate in missions from Elim Bible Institute and a master’s degree in theology from Regent University. She and her husband, Preston, live in Fort Mill, SC, with their three children.
Brad McCracken
Brad serves as the treasurer of the Eastwood Local School District. He and his wife, Bev, have been on several missions trips with CPI, and they reside in Perrysburg township, OH.
Tom Hopkins
Tom Hopkins and his first wife, Connie (who passed away in 2012), and their two children, Seth and Marcie, served in Peru for three years as missionaries with Food for the Hungry. Since that time, Tom has worked as an Agricultural Extension Agent for Ohio State University, as a 4-H Youth Development Educator, and has served with CPI working with tribal groups and with short-term mission teams. Tom has a Masters Degree in Agriculture and resides in West Springfield, PA. Tom remarried in 2017 and lives in Ohio with his wife, Barbara.
Tom Fox
Tom Fox has served as a long-term missionary in eastern Europe with the International Mission Board, and currently serves as a pastor at Cornerstone Community Church in Jackson, Tennessee. He received a BS in Biblical Studies from Mississippi College and a MDiv in Biblical Studies from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Tom and his wife, Tammy, have two children.