Jefferson Educational Society has announced a portion of this year's speakers for the 16th annual Global Summit.

So far, a total of 13 speakers are confirmed for this year's series.

Former U.S. Representative and former Chair of the House Republican Conference Liz Cheney will kick off the event with a conversation with Sister Joan Chittister on Oct. 17.

The summit will also feature ESPN host Stephen A. Smith, who will discuss the future of sports and his best-selling memoir, "Straight Shooter."

Organizers say the event has come a long way since it first began 16 years ago.

"Our aim is to always grow our Global Summit until we have met the intellectual thirst of the community," said Dr. Ferki Ferati, president of Jefferson Educational Society. "We're going bigger, better, than the previous summits. It's always our goal, and we hope the community will come out and support us again."

The summit kicks off Oct. 17 and is expected to run through mid-November with additional speakers still being added.