Lorri Jean, executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, is the featured speaker at the sixth annual Monsoon dinner and auction Nov. 1 to benefit the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community of Boulder County.

Jean will speak at the Spice of Life Event Center, 5706 Arapahoe Road in Boulder. A cash bar and a silent auction begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m.

Jean was appointed executive director of the 28-year-old National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in May. She previously served as executive director of the Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center from 1993 to 1999. Under her leadership, the Center's annual budget grew from $8 million to $32 million and became the largest GLBT organization in the world.