It is awarded to a member of the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) who displayed meritorious and imaginative service to IFT.
Willey was given a distinguished service award by IFT at the 1987 Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada.
This distinguished service award would be named in his honor and presented for the first time as an annual award at the 1989 Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois.
It was the first IFT Award to be named for a living person.
Award winners receive an USD 3000 honorarium and a plaque from IFT.