Elizabeth (Betsy) Foote Casteen was born in Boston and raised in Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA in Art History from Boston University, having studied also in Rouen, France. She attended Boston Architectural Center and earned a Master's degree in Urban Affairs from Boston University. She has been a city planner in Cambridge, Boston, and New York City.
Prior to moving to Charlottesville, she lived in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, where she chaired the Town of Longmeadow planning board and served on the regional Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. She served as a director of United Cooperative Bank and was a corporator of the Springfield Library and Museums Association.
She served under three Massachusetts Governors as vice chair of the Massachusetts Development Finance Agency. She was appointed by the President of the Massachusetts Senate to serve as director of the Brownfields Advisory Board, which advises the Governor on environmental issues regarding contaminated development sites. Most recently, she was vice president of real estate development of MassDevelopment, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' economic development agency, where she worked on the redevelopment of a 125-acre former state mental hospital in Northampton, Massachusetts.
In 2003, Betsy married John T. Casteen III, president of the University of Virginia. She traveled extensively with President Casteen on behalf of the University to communicate the University's near- and long-term aspirations to alumni, parents, and friends. On many occasions, she represented the president and often speaks on his behalf.
She oversaw the management of Carr's Hill, the historic and official home of the University president and his family, with broad responsibility for the maintenance, restoration and decoration of this historic property, its dependencies, and its gardens. Each year the Casteens opened their home to over 15,000 University students, faculty and staff members, alumni, and friends. Mrs. Casteen hosted nearly 100 events each year. She oversaw and participated in production of the standard book about Carr’s Hill, as well the year-long celebration of Carr’s Hill Centennial.
Mrs. Casteen’s broader University service has included the University's National Campaign Launch Committee, the Women in Leadership and Philanthropy Committee, and the University of Virginia's Art Museum Advisory Board, on which she continues to serve. While at Carr’s Hill, she was the honorary president of the University of Virginia's Women's Club and co-chair of the Women in Leadership Conference scheduled in 2008. She has been an active member of the Charlottesville Garden Club and the Contemporary Club and of related statewide organizations. She is an avid sports fan and an advocate of women’s sports; she attends as many events as her schedule allows.
Between them, the Casteens have five children and eleven grandchildren.