Pay It Forward Luncheon Series

An interdisciplinary opportunity to connect with fellow students, faculty and our community.

Hosted by the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Pay It Forward Luncheon Series brings together Fresno State students and community business leaders. Each session is led by different business professionals to highlight a new, informative topic. These events explore in-depth issues and allow for impactful networking between Fresno State students and successful business professionals.

Pay It Forward luncheons are free and open to the public. Registration is required and space is limited.

 

What if the answer is community?

One woman's journey to rethink homelessness, build and scale Salt + Light and create a place where people belong.

Join us as Fresno State alumna Adrianne Hillman, Founder and CEO of Salt + Light Works, shares her journey pioneering The Neighborhood Village and how rethinking homelessness through dignity, belonging, purpose, and human connection can transform lives and communities.

Adrianne’s journey shows students that success is rarely a straight line. Her story of fear, reinvention, risk-taking, and ultimately finding purpose is both relatable and inspiring.

Three key takeaways for students:

Finding Your Passion: How understanding who you really are will lead you to a life of true purpose
Do It Afraid: Learning to utilize fear as the raw material for cultivating courage and using it to build something for which there is no roadmap
It's All About Relationship: How fostering meaningful relationships and human connection can transform your life and shape your future

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Adrianne Hillman is the founder and CEO of Salt + Light Works, a Central Valley nonprofit cultivating belonging and community alongside people who have experienced homelessness. Raised on a century-old dairy farm in Tipton, Adrianne is part of a multigenerational Portuguese American dairy family deeply rooted in the Central Valley.

Since founding Salt + Light in 2019, she has helped pioneer The Neighborhood Village in Goshen, a first-of-its-kind rural permanent supportive housing community where neighbors are not merely housed, but known, valued, and connected to purpose. Her work challenges conventional responses to homelessness by placing dignity, radical hospitality, meaningful accountability, and human connection at the center of lasting change. A proud Fresno State alumna and member of the Fresno State Portuguese Leadership Council, Adrianne is also a recipient of the 2026 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award.

We hope to see you there!

If you’ve attended our luncheons before, you already know these conversations are real, practical, and inspiring.

If you haven’t attended yet, this is the one to come to.

Date: Thursday, September 17, 2026
Time: 11:30 a.m. — 1:30 p.m.
Location: California State University, Fresno
Lynda and Stewart Resnick Student Union 

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Save the Dates

Don't miss what's ahead! Save the dates for these upcoming sessions.

October 13 – David Tangipa, California State Assembly Member
November 12 – Jesse Peralez, Owner & President, Cooper Chase Construction

Past Events

Missed an event?

Catch all the highlights, inspiring talks and memorable moments from our past events on our YouTube channel.

Watch the full playlist here