Skillman completed a self-designed B.A. in cultural minorities and the immigrant experience from St. Lawrence University.[1] She earned a M.A. in folklore from University of California, Los Angeles.[1]
Skillman worked as Pennsylvania's state folklorist for over thirty years, managing the state folk arts infrastructure program for the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.[2]
Skillman has served as the academic director of the M.A. in cultural sustainability at Goucher College since 2012.[3] In 2023, she was elected president of the American Folklore Society (AFS).[3][1] She became involved with the AFS in 1978 and served on its executive board from 2009 to 2011.[1] She is an AFS fellow and a recipient of the Botkin Prize.[1]