University Business caught up with Amber Garrison Duncan, the “Godmother of LERs,” to better understand what federal and state participation in talent marketplaces means for higher education. Duncan is executive vice president at the Competency-Based Education Network, a nonprofit organization advancing skills-based learning across education, government and industry. During our interview, Duncan was attending the National Governors Association’s Skills in the States Annual Convening. At the event, public and national employers from 22 states discussed actionable strategies to sustain skills-based hiring practices in the wake of AI-driven labor market disruptions.