Aaron Spencer

Aaron Spencer is the Founder, Director and Chairman Emeritus of Uno Restaurant Holdings, the parent company of UNO Chicago Grill pizzerias. Mr. Spencer grew up outside of Boston and graduated from Boston University. In 1966, while a national sales manager for a children’s furniture company, he opened Boston’s first Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant. He eventually opened 33 in the area, becoming one of KFC’s top franchisees. After sampling deep-dish pizza on a trip to Chicago, Mr. Spencer spent three years winning licensing rights to franchise the product nationally. in 1979, he opened the first Pizzeria Uno. In 1996, the first of his ten years on the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, he proposed a public honors college for the state. Mr. Spencer felt it should attract some of the state’s best students by matching the quality of the finest liberal arts colleges while offering the opportunities of a large research university. The board unanimously chose UMass Amherst to house the new initiative, and Commonwealth Honors College has gone on to exceed expectations in drawing exceptional students to UMass Amherst.

Please address your thank you letter to Mr. Spencer.