Alumni Where Are They Now?: Christopher Cathcart, Class of 1986

Christopher D. Cathcart, a 1986 graduate of Howard University, has proven to be on of the successful graduates the university boasts about producing. Graduating with a B.A. in Communications, Cathcart has become a mogul in the communications field, a renowned public speaker, a volunteer advocate and a mentor.

Originally from Plainfield, N.J. Cathcart entered Howard in 1981. He was a member of the New Jersey Club, wrote for The Hilltop Newspaper, and played on the Howard football team. After two years on an athletic scholarship, he decided to stop playing so that he could become more involved in campus life. In 1984, he was elected as the Howard University Student Association president. As HUSA president, Cathcart rallied along with other students for a course in African-American studies to become a requirement for all students to graduate.

After graduation, Cathcart went directly into the workforce. He worked in the public relations department for CNN, TBS, TNT, Warner Brothers Television and Motown Records. After years of working for different communication networks, he decided to start his own firm. He is now president and founder of OneDiasporaGroup, which is a parent organization for OneDiaspora Consulting, a marketing media and public relations company, and The OneDiaspora Project, which is a nonprofit community assistance and awareness organization.

In 2006, Cathcart published "The Lost Art of Giving Back," a book that discusses the importance of volunteering. He is also the co-editor of "HBCU Experience – The Book," a series of 101 essays of firsthand accounts of graduates from historically black colleges and universities. With an expected release in 2012, Cathcart said he hopes the book will show the relevance of HBCUs in today's society.

He said he visits Howard every time he is in the District and makes an effort to speak to classes in the School of Communications and on panel discussions.

"I learned that I had a responsibility to graduate and not only become a lucrative professional in the workforce, but also apply everything that I learned in the classroom to everywhere I went thereafter, to make that place better and spread my knowledge," Cathcart said.

Cathcart said that he is happy to see that the university and students are progressing and keeping up the positive legacy for which Howard is known.

"My advice for current students is to make sure that they find a mentor doing something they want to do and they consistently talk to that mentor," he said. "That's something I think I waited too long to do."