University of Texas at Dallas RUF International
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RUF-International at UT-Dallas exists to WELCOME scholars and students from all nations, help them EXPLORE the gospel of Jesus Christ, and EQUIP Christian internationals to be servant-leaders for the kingdom of God in "every square inch" of life.
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Meet Our Team
David Billingslea
David was born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Colorado in 2008 and then moved to Dallas, Texas for a job in sports broadcasting. During that stint in Dallas, David met his wife, Meredith, a Baylor graduate who was working as a pediatric ICU nurse. He began to sense a call to ministry, and they moved to Colorado in 2010 where David served on staff with The Navigators back at CU. With a desire for seminary training, they moved to Richardson, TX in 2013 for David to attend Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, and he graduated with his Master of Divinity in 2016. He and Meredith have two daughters: Evelyn, who was born in the summer of 2012, and Norah, who was born in the spring of 2016. David began the RUF-International ministry at UT Dallas in 2018.
Hailey Tarbell
Hailey (Kim) Tarbell grew up in multiple different states, but her family eventually settled down in Oklahoma. She attended The University of Tulsa and received a degree in Speech and Language Pathology. The Lord led her to RUF when she was a freshman and the ministry became an essential part of her college experience. Upon graduating from TU in 2017, she moved to Southern California to work for RUF at UC Irvine. She also met her husband, Erik, while living out there and got married pretty recently. In December 2021, Erik and Hailey left SoCal and moved to their new home and community in Fate, TX. She is thrilled to work for RUF-I in Dallas and meet people from all nations and different cultural backgrounds. Hailey and Erik enjoy coffee, reading, being outside, snow sports, exploring various foods and recipes, and spending time with friends and family.