Our Team

Tara-Leigh Cobble

D-Group Founder & President

Her earliest memory is learning John 3:16 from her mom, shortly before her brother led her to Christ. Despite an early introduction to Christianity, she wasted years coasting on the second-hand information she learned from others. In 2008, through the gentle encouragement of a friend, she read all the way through the Bible for the first time. That changed everything. "I wanted and needed people alongside me in my pursuit of God -- people to hold me accountable for scripture memory and Bible reading and all the things that were bringing me so much newfound joy!" Out of that need, she started D-Group with a handful of strangers in a living room in 2009. She is a member of All Saints Church (Anglican Mission). She lives in Dallas, TX, where she has no pets or children -- or anything else that might die if she forgets to feed it.

CALLIE
SUMMERS

Executive
Director

BRIAN
SHAKLEY

Men's
Director

She grew up in a Christian home with loving parents, but her faith became her own in college. Her hunger for the Word of God flourished and she discovered the power of Christian community and discipleship relationships as catalysts for spiritual growth. A native Texan, she loves the beach and the mountains, and enjoys hiking, camping, and hammocking. She is a voracious podcast listener and book reader. She is excited to join staff and is thrilled to be used by God to strengthen His kingdom! Callie is a member of Watermark Community Church in Dallas.

Through leadership roles in various ministry organizations such as Youth for Christ and Campus Crusade for Christ, as well as continued involvement in local churches, Brian has developed a passion to see others cultivate a deeper faith through discipleship. Whether in youth ministry settings or peer-to-peer groups, he has seen the fruit of a structured, intentional approach to building relationships within the Church. He is married to Sissy, who is also a D-Group leader, and they currently live in Chattanooga, TN, where they are members of Calvary Chapel Chattanooga.

JOELLE
SMITH

Logistics
Manager

COURTNEY
VAUGHAN

Executive
Assistant

Though raised in the church, her life didn’t always reflect Gospel transformation. At a low point in her early twenties, two women approached her on the beach to remind her of God’s love for her. His pursuit of her never felt more real, and she began to fall in love with Him, the One who heals and restores. Shortly after that, she joined D-Group -- and even five years later, she still counts it among her best decisions. Her desire is to live out the words of John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Joelle is a member of Providence Wesleyan Church in Summerville, SC.

Although she has been a Christian since she was a young child, Courtney spent the majority of her Christian life checking the boxes she believed would make her a “good, moral Christian.” Since joining four years ago, The Lord has used D-Group to graciously show her more of Himself and to radically transform her concept of what it means to be saved by grace alone, through faith alone. She and her husband Dustin, along with their daughter Foster, split their time between Dallas and San Antonio. They are members of First McKinney Baptist Church.