Skemp was born in the base hospital of the Boca Raton Army Air Field in Florida, where her father was a radar instructor. After the air field closed, its land became the campus of Florida Atlantic University, where she would later study and work.[1]
Skemp became a technician at Pratt & Whitney in 1963,[2] and worked there for 31 years, later transitioning to a role as an engineer for them.[1] During this time she earned an associate degree from Palm Beach State College in 1971,[2] and graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 1981 with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering.[3]
She served as president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for the 2002–2003 term,[4] its second female president, and was an ASME White House Federal Fellow in the Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2004 to 2006.[5] In 2008, she returned to Florida Atlantic University as executive director of the Southeast National Marine Renewable Energy Center,[1] studying hydrokinetic and thermal sources of marine energy.[5] She chaired the foundation board of ASME beginning in 2013,[5] and retired in 2015.[1]
Recognition
The ASME gave Skemp their Dedicated Service Award in 1991.[5] She was named an ASME Fellow in 2001.[6] She was named to the Florida Atlantic University Alumni Hall of Fame in 2002.[3] In 2014, she won the marine hydrokinetics category of the Women with Hydro Vision Awards, at the HydroVision International conference in Nashville, Tennessee.[7]