Greta M. Colavito, a resident of Ithaca, is the first recipient of the Bettie Brooks-Greta Colavito Award for Distinguished Service at the Boyce Thompson Institute of Plant Research, Inc. (BTI), located on the campus of Cornell University.

Colavito began working for BTI in Yonkers, N.Y., in 1972 and moved to Ithaca when the institute was relocated to Cornell in 1978. She worked in the institute's library and as an assistant to Dewayne Torgeson, the institute's former treasurer. In the mid-1980's she became executive assistant to BTI's then-president Ralph Hardy.

In 1991, Colavito was elected corporate secretary of BTI, a position she held beyond her retirement in 1996.

The award also is named for Bettie Brooks, who managed the secretarial staff at the institute and worked for BTI from 1923 to 1974. The award recognizes an individual's accomplishments, noting the high level of service, dedication, professionalism and commitment to excellence.