STEVE CASTLES

Executive VP of Slate Consulting & BFE Blueprint Partnerships

Steve Castles first discovered his passion for admissions when he started his Master's degree at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and was hired as a student worker in the Office of Admission. From there, he worked his way up to the role of Director of Admissions and never looked back. Following his years in San Francisco, Steve moved to Los Angeles after being appointed Executive Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Now the Executive Vice President of Slate Consulting & BFE Blueprint Partnerships at Best Fit Education, Steve is excited to use his years of experience and track record of success at niche institutions to help schools around the globe achieve their goals.

Born and raised in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago, Steve received Bachelor's Degrees in both Music Education and Trumpet Performance from DePaul University. It was his experience during student teaching that first got him interested in helping to connect students to the best places to continue their music education. Since then, Steve has dedicated his work in admissions to be able to help students find the school that is right for them, even if it wasn't the school at which he was working. 

In addition to his professional life, Steve enjoys exploring adventures of all kinds with his partner Kayt and their dogs Chef and Javi. Lovers of the outdoors, they can often be found camping or on the trails being followed by Steve and his camera. An avid cook, Steve loves bringing people together around a table for great food and wine as well as getting to find new dishes on his many travels around the world. If he isn't with the dogs or cooking, Steve is likely to be found on the golf course after taking the game back up during the pandemic.

“I hired BFE Blueprint to help us create an international recruitment plan.  As a newcomer to Mount Saint Mary’s University, Los Angeles,  I was surprised there was little international recruitment activity, let alone a plan.  Steve Castles, from BFE Blueprint, did an outstanding job creating a plan for us in a short amount of time.  His work entailed extensive research on potential international markets, prioritization of markets, review of our recruitment and admission practices, and implementing processes that enhanced the international student experience.  He provided a road map to the international market that we are still using two years later and it has proven to be invaluable given staff turnover.”

— Susan Dileno, VP of Enrollment Management, Mount Saint Mary’s University

“I’ve known and worked with Steve for five years now. We worked together at CalArts, and through his excellent leadership and creative problem solving, enrollment grew notably during his tenure. I cannot think of anyone on the planet better suited to help any niche school solve its enrollment challenges and turn its enrollment around, especially one whose focus is on performing and/or visual arts.”

— Robert Borden, President of BFE Blueprint