Skipwith has a B.S. in biology from Howard University and an M.S. in molecular genetics from Purdue University. In 2015, she received a law degree from the University of Kentucky, and she's a member of the Kentucky Bar Association.

From 2006 to 2012, Skipwith worked for Monsanto, first in the regulatory sciences department and then in corporate affairs, according to her LinkedIn. In the corporate affairs department, she worked with non-governmental organizations and major donors to manage communications around Monsanto crops for African countries and worked to "further [the] company's sustainability and diversity messaging."