espnW Prepares for 'Women + Sports Summit’: Maria Shriver, Brittney Griner, Kate Fagan, Julie Foudy, Hannah Storm, And More!

espnW has begun the last of its preparations for this week's fifth annual Women + Sports Summit. This year's theme is "Making an Impact," which will focus on the influence of athletes and business leaders on the landscape of women's sports. The summit will celebrate the likes of Maria Shriver, Melanne Verveer, Kate Fagan, Julie Foudy and Hannah Storm.

"We want to lead the conversation for women and sports," espnW's editor-in-chief, Alison Overholt, told Cynopsis Sports on Monday. "We really try to keep that at the forefront in all of the conversations we have internally with the editorial team as well as with stories and content plans as we ask ourselves, 'What do women want today?' and 'How can we advance and evolve that conversation?' So, I'd say that has really been our organizing principal."

As reported by ESPN Media Zone last month, Peabody and Emmy-winning journalist Maria Shriver has been tapped as this year's closing speaker. She is set to address her Architects of Change life philosophy, as well as her family's legacy within the Special Olympics organization.

"I'm extremely excited to be partnering with espnW to discuss my belief that we can all be Architects of Change in our own lives and the lives of others," Shriver told ESPN. "My mother, Eunice Shriver, did that by founding the Special Olympics in 1968, which went on to transform the world of sports. I'm proud of ESPN for their work with Special Olympics Unified Sports and the Special Olympics World Games, taking place in LA in July 2015, where thousands of Architects of Change with intellectual disabilities will gather and transform not only the city, but also the sports community yet again."

WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Ambassador Melanne Verveer join Shriver on the list of this year's speakers. Several notable women in the ESPN organization, including espnW's Kate Fagan and Julie Foudy, plus SportsCenter anchor Hannah Storm, will also be present for the three-day conversation.  

This year's summit, presented by Toyota, will be held in Dana Point, California, this Wednesday through Friday, Oct. 8-10.