“Ellen” fans will recognize the familiar face of Betty DeGeneres as the dancing mother in the show’s commercials. The mother of actress and comedian Ellen DeGeneres will speak at 8 tonight in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.After her daughter experienced coming out both on her sitcom and in her life, Betty DeGeneres was asked to be the Human Rights Campaign’s National Coming Out spokesperson. DeGeneres is the first heterosexual person to hold the position. Since then, DeGeneres has written two books, “Love, Ellen: A Mother, Daughter Journey” and “Just a Mom,” about her experiences.DeGeneres has diverse experiences to talk about. Not only has she dealt with the issue of being the mother of a homosexual child in the public eye, but she is also a breast cancer survivor and has much to say about motherhood.”She is in a unique situation that is very much in the public eye,” said Pat Miller, coordinator of the Lectures Committee, a funding arm of GSB.DeGeneres is a keynote speaker for a lectures program called “Growing Up in America.,” sponsored by the 2001 Institute on National Affairs, a subgroup of the Lectures Committee. DeGeneres and future speakers will talk about coming of age in an increasingly difficult and diverse world.”She has a strong voice for diverse families,” said Abby Hansen, a Lectures Committee member.”I’m really glad that she’s coming,” Hansen said. “It’s important for the [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] community.” According to Hansen, family support is crucial to people coming out. She also said the issue applies to many families in Ames and the ISU community.