Chris Castilian: The Coloradan Who Turned a Love of the Outdoors Into a Career of Public Service
If you’ve spent any time around Colorado’s conservation and outdoor recreation world over the past couple of decades, the name Chris Castilian has almost certainly crossed your desk. He’s one of those rare leaders who has moved fluidly between government offices, corporate boardrooms, and nonprofit headquarters without ever losing the thread that ties it all together. With more than twenty years of experience spanning the public, private, and nonprofit sectors, Castilian has built a reputation as a strategist who genuinely understands how the pieces of a complex organization fit together. He’s a self-described “recovering lawyer” who traded billable hours for a career built around people, place, and purpose.
Colorado Roots Run Deep
To understand Castilian, you have to understand where he comes from. He’s a fourth-generation Coloradan, which is no small detail in a state where so many residents are transplants. That deep familial connection to the landscape isn’t just biographical color; it’s the foundation of nearly everything he’s done professionally. When someone has watched the same mountains and rivers across four generations of family history, conservation stops being an abstract policy goal and becomes something far more personal. That sense of belonging has shaped how he approaches his work, lending it an authenticity that’s hard to manufacture.
From Law and Lobbying to the Halls of Government
Castilian’s early career put him squarely inside Colorado’s political and legal machinery. He served as deputy chief of staff for former Governor Bill Owens, a high-pressure role that demands equal parts political instinct and operational discipline. He also spent time as of-counsel at the prominent firm Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schreck, representing clients on government and public affairs matters, and later directed the Colorado State Board of Land Commissioners. It was during these years in the lobbying and policy world that something interesting happened: he developed a genuine passion for the outdoors and began looking for ways to bend his career path toward it. That pivot would define the rest of his professional life.
The Corporate Chapter at Anadarko
Before he became a household name in conservation circles, Castilian spent time on the corporate side of the energy economy. As director of strategy and engagement at Anadarko Petroleum Corporation—at the time the largest oil and natural gas producer in the Rockies region—he managed government affairs, social investment, employee engagement, and stakeholder outreach. It’s a chapter that some might assume sits uneasily next to his later conservation work, but it actually makes him unusually credible. He understands the realities of industry, regulation, and economic development from the inside, which means he can talk to private-sector stakeholders without the naivety that sometimes hampers advocacy work. That fluency across worlds became one of his defining strengths.
Leading Great Outdoors Colorado
The role that cemented Castilian’s legacy arrived in March 2017, when he became executive director of Great Outdoors Colorado, better known as GOCO. The organization channels a portion of state lottery proceeds—tens of millions of dollars annually—into parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces across Colorado. Castilian didn’t treat the job as a caretaker position. Instead, he led the creation and adoption of a transformational, values-based strategic plan that fundamentally changed how the organization operated, with a sharp new emphasis on equity in the outdoors. One initiative he spoke of with particular pride was Generation Wild, which partnered with local organizations to get kids outside and worked to break down barriers for underrepresented communities so they could enjoy the same simple outdoor experiences many Coloradans take for granted.
Fishers Peak and a Lasting Legacy
Among the many projects Castilian touched during his four years at GOCO, the creation of Fishers Peak State Park stands out as a genuine career highlight. The roughly thirty-square-mile property near Trinidad became one of Colorado’s newest state parks, and Castilian was integral to making it happen. Conservation partners across the state credited him with elevating GOCO’s voice and shaping a broader vision of Colorado’s natural future. Colleagues have described him as someone who sees connections, understands urgency, embraces opportunity, and—crucially—knows when to push. When he departed at the end of June 2021, the praise from partner organizations was effusive and, by all appearances, sincere.
The National Ski Patrol Detour
Not every chapter unfolds neatly, and Castilian’s career is honest about that. In the summer of 2021 he was named CEO of the National Ski Patrol, selected from a field of more than 250 applicants. It looked like a natural fit for an outdoor-recreation leader. But the tenure was short-lived. He resigned after roughly a year, openly citing “vastly different visions for the future of this organization” between himself and the board. It’s a reminder that even seasoned executives sometimes land in situations where alignment simply isn’t there—and that walking away can be the more principled choice.
Building the Next Generation of Leaders at DU
Castilian’s most recent act brings his story full circle. In 2023 he joined the University of Denver as senior executive director of the new Leadership in Outdoor Recreation Industry program, an interdisciplinary effort drawing on the Daniels College of Business, the Sturm College of Law, and the Josef Korbel School of International Studies. Funded in significant part by a multi-million-dollar grant from The VF Foundation, the program is designed to train the next generation of outdoor-industry leaders. He has also served more recently as chief operations officer of the Auraria Higher Education Center, where former colleagues described him as a generous mentor and a tireless advocate for his team.
Life Beyond the Title
For all the titles, Castilian comes across as refreshingly grounded. He earned a graduate education at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, yet he describes himself with self-deprecating humor as a recovering lawyer who’d rather be outside. He’s married to Chantell Taylor, a fellow University of Denver law graduate, and his public bio notes his life as a family man and committed Coloradan. That blend of serious credentials and easygoing humility is probably why so many people who’ve worked with him speak about him with real warmth.
Conclusion: Chris Castilian
Chris Castilian’s career doesn’t follow a tidy straight line, and that’s exactly what makes it compelling. He’s moved from political offices to corporate strategy to conservation leadership to higher education, and somehow each move makes more sense in light of the last. The through-line is a fourth-generation Coloradan’s devotion to his state and a leadership style built on relationships, equity, and a willingness to take bold swings. Whether he was steering millions toward parks and open spaces, helping create a new state park, or shaping the curriculum that will train tomorrow’s outdoor leaders, Castilian has left a mark on Colorado that’s likely to outlast any single job title. He’s a useful case study in what happens when someone refuses to choose between doing well and doing good.
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