Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
PhysicalMost Influential People in SecuritySecurity Enterprise ServicesSecurity Leadership and ManagementPhysical SecurityGovernment: Federal, State and Local

Special Report

Liz Cathcart | Most Influential People in Security 2023

Executive Director | Hostage US

By Taelor Sutherland
Liz Cathcart Executive Director Hostage US

Bio Image courtesy of Cathcart
Background image courtesy of Jirsak / iStock / Getty Images Plus / via Getty Images

September 5, 2023

A community-based security approach

Liz Cathcart’s security career began far before she entered the field herself.

“Both of my grandparents were in the CIA and posted in Iran,” Cathcart says. “When I was in school studying, I was really interested in international affairs and relations. One of the topics that I found myself learning more about and gravitating toward was the Iranian hostage seizure.” The combination of her family history and college interest led various career paths. What eventually blended Cathcart’s interests was a new organization, Hostage US.

Cathcart joined Hostage US in 2016 prior to its official launch, working alongside the founding executive director to build the organization. Hostage US is a nonprofit focused on providing support to U.S. citizens wrongfully detained or taken hostage internationally.

“When an employee of an organization is taken hostage, ensuring family support and making sure that they are involved in the organization’s response to a kidnapping is incredibly important. There’s this nexus of the human side and operational side of security. Hostage US tries to work with organizations to make sure collaboration nicely and seamlessly for families so that they’re well-supported by their organization,” Cathcart says.

Cathcart became the Executive Director of Hostage US in 2020. Her role involves overseeing the growth of programs that support Americans who were taken hostage or wrongfully detained abroad.

“We also help organizations to reintegrate their employees back into the workforce once they’re back home. Our work focuses around ensuring global organizations have the capacity within their own teams to support families throughout cases and make sure that their employees are well-supported when they return home,” Cathcart says.

Some of the ways Cathcart’s team works with organizations is by reaching out to organizations with employees in risky areas. They work to encourage safe travel best practices along with open communication between employers and their families. Additionally, Cathcart works to assess various political shifts that may raise or reduce an employee’s risk.

“What that looks like for us is being proactive and connecting with security departments who operate in particularly dangerous or emerging dangerous areas. We keep a close eye on trends of hostage-taking and wrongful detention cases, so that we’re able to make fairly astute guesses about what the trends of increased wrongful detention might look like in the years to come,” Cathcart says.

“ While family support might seem like it falls to the HR side, it’s actually integral to a security response of a hostage situation.”
— Liz Cathcart

“I think one of the interesting and eye-opening trends that we’ve seen is that wrongful detention cases and incidents of governments detaining Americans is increasing,” Cathcart says, “and for an employer, that is an incredibly difficult challenge to manage. It can span for years, and it’s not within the skillset of any particular organization to be able to respond to those types of wrongful detentions.”

Cathcart witnessed an interesting shift in travel and wrongful detention trends. As countries began to recognize the success in using wrongful detentions as leverage against the U.S. government, detentions began to increase. This stopped suddenly in 2020, as COVID-19 meant people weren’t traveling at the same rate they used to. However, as borders opened and travel increased, so did the rate of wrongful detentions.


The family aspect of security

 Cathcart emphasizes the importance of family liaison and support in the security industry.

“While it might seem like it falls to the HR side, it’s actually integral to a security response of a hostage situation. The family is an essential part in any decisions that are made during our hostage or wrongful detention response plan,” Cathcart says. “When families are brought into the discussions with security, the response is made a lot easier because you have a good relationship with the family members who will then be making — or at least involved in — a lot of these decisions.”

As Executive Director, Cathcart also navigates public-sector partnerships and public attention. The nature of hostage situations can bring large amounts of media attention. This can be either a help or a hindrance in the reunification process, making it complicated for security leaders to navigate.

“We want to make sure that the organization understands all aspects of what media means to these types of crisis,” Cathcart says.

In addition to media, Cathcart and her team must look into what resources are available. This can range from insurance coverage to navigating means for financial support for the involved families.

“We talk a lot about auditing the resources available within the security department to support families. Oftentimes that means looking inwards, within your own security department and thinking, ‘What do we have in place that we can use to support families who are going through this, and where are the gaps that we need to fill to make sure that if we're faced with this, we have the right support system in place?’”

Cathcart says she’s most proud when she sees “an organization that is particularly good and focused on the support of their employees, and they meet their duty of care in this context. I feel really proud that we’re able to influence the development in that relationship in some way.”

KEYWORDS: employee safety hostage negotiation hostage situation Hostage US

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Taelor daugherty 2023

Taelor Sutherland is the Associate Editor at Security magazine. Sutherland covers news affecting enterprise security leaders, from industry events to physical & cybersecurity threats and mitigation tactics. She is also responsible for coordinating and publishing web exclusives, multimedia content, social media posts, and a number of eMagazine departments. Sutherland graduated in 2022 with a BA in English Literature from Agnes Scott College.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Security Enterprise Services
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Logical Security
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Cybersecurity
    By: Charles Denyer
Subscribe For Free!
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Pills spilled

More than 20,000 sensitive medical records exposed

Laptop in darkness

Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows rise in cyberattacks

Coding on screen

Research reveals mass scanning and exploitation campaigns

White post office truck

Department of Labor Sues USPS Over Texas Whistleblower Termination

Computer with binary code hovering nearby

Cyberattacks Targeting US Increased by 136%

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

May 22, 2025

Proactive Crisis Communication

Crisis doesn't wait for the right time - it strikes when least expected. Is your team prepared to communicate clearly and effectively when it matters most?

September 29, 2025

Global Security Exchange (GSX)

 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Robert Grant

    Robert Grant | Most Influential People in Security

    See More
  • Tamara Hutchinson

    Tamara Hutchinson | Most Influential People in Security

    See More
  • Arian Avila

    Arian Avila | Most Influential People in Security

    See More

Events

View AllSubmit An Event
  • April 16, 2025

    Modernizing GSOC Operations: Ensuring Full Control and Complete Situational Awareness

    ON DEMAND: For many organizations, physical security management can be a daunting task. Threats are on the rise and risks are becoming increasingly diverse. 
View AllSubmit An Event
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing