Our Team
Kim Marklund - Trainer
Kim serves as an auxiliary member at Evergreen Fire/Rescue and as the Community Liaison at Genesee Fire/Rescue, both located in the foothills west of Denver. Drawing from personal experience as the parent of a teenage son with autism, she and her co-presenter, Gina Scarbrough, developed a specialized autism awareness and response training program for first responders and other professional audiences.
Together, they have delivered presentations to EMS, fire, Search & Rescue, law enforcement, park rangers, district attorney offices, and healthcare professionals both locally and nationwide. Their goal is to equip emergency personnel with practical tools and strategies to effectively and compassionately engage with individuals on the autism spectrum.
Prior to her advocacy work, Kim had a career as a software project manager and consultant, working with several Fortune 500 companies in Houston. She also co-authored the 75th Anniversary commemorative book for Evergreen Fire/Rescue.
Kim is a dedicated volunteer with both fire departments and enjoys cooking for large, multi-agency training events—including preparing 10 gallons of chili for Evergreen Fire/Rescue’s entry in the Evergreen ‘Big Chili’ Contest. She also volunteers with a local homeless shelter, rural food pantry, and her church.
Kim and her husband are raising two teenagers and a college student, and she brings both personal commitment and professional insight to her work with first responders. She is also a huge fan of God!
Dr. Richard Williams, Mentor to Kim & Gina
Richard O. Williams has a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and an M.S., from George Washington University in Washington DC. He spent twenty years in the medical sciences in academia, doing research and teaching at the University of London; the Pasteur Institute in Paris, France; the University of Heidelberg, Germany; and the World Health Organization in Africa. He also has had a career in business development, helping to start small companies. He is the author of eight, five peer-reviewed research articles on the molecular genetics and microbiology of infectious diseases. His interest in the world of autism started with his daughter who was adopted in 1979 from Thailand at the age of two.
After his personal intervention in many of her schools, his daughter finished high school. She attended Beacon College in Leesburg, Florida, a small, unaccredited college that works specifically with students with learning disabilities, ADD, and autism. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in human services and Dr. Williams was elected to its Board of Trustees.
Following his retirement from the board after twelve years, he devotes his time to researching the subjects of autism and learning disabilities. He co-authors books with Jeffery Freed, who has a clinical and counseling background on autism.
Gina Scarbrough - Trainer
Gina Scarbrough NRP, FP-C is an EMS Field Coordinator & Educator. She has worked in EMS since 2003 in all levels from EMT through Flight Paramedic. Seeing the need for autism training for all types of first responders, health care providers & community groups, she partnered with Kim & together they created & developed autism training programs. Gina’s goal is to educate participants with knowledge & provide strategies they can use when they may encounter an autistic individual either professionally or personally.
This project is especially important to her as she has a young adult son on the autistic spectrum. Gina enjoys creating mini-documentaries which she films and produces & uses to educate EMS providers. In her spare time, she enjoys figure skating, paddleboarding, acrylic painting, & spending time with her 4 young adult children & family.
