The Dillard University College of Business will honor local entrepreneurs Leah Chase and Preston J. Edwards Sr. at the third annual Champions of the American Dream program on Tuesday, April 2 at 6 p.m. in the Georges Auditorium of the Professional Schools and Sciences Building. The event is free and open to the public.

Chase has been cooking at Dooky Chase's Restaurant since 1946. During the civil rights movement, some of the nation's leading activists gathered at her restaurant to eat and discuss plans for integrating facilities in New Orleans. Chase was named to the Lafcadio Hearn Hall of Honor at Nicholls State University's John Folse Culinary Institute. She has received the NAACP Human Understanding Award and the Times-Picayune Loving Cup. She is the author of "The Dooky Chase Cookbook."

Edwards is the founder of the IMDiversity, Inc. media group. The company operates several websites, including DiversityEmployers.com and BlackCollegian.com, and publishes Diversity Employers Magazine, which targets both entry-level and experienced jobseekers. The magazine’s predecessor was THE BLACK COLLEGIAN Magazine, which Edwards founded in 1970. Edwards holds a B.A. from Dillard, an M.B.A. from Atlanta University and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Livingstone College in Salisbury, S.C.

During the Champions of the American Dream program, the honorees will lecture on business entrepreneurship and participate in an audience Q&A session. A reception will follow in the atrium of the Professional Schools and Sciences Building.

Past honorees include Paul Flower, Dorothy Perrault, Larry Lundy and Beverly McKenna.

For more information, please contact Travis Chase at (504) 816-4713 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .