The VMware User Group (VMUG) announced the appointment of Ben Clayton as President of the Board of Directors, as well as a full slate of board members and committee chairs for 2017.

Clayton has served on the VMUG Board of Directors for over 6 years and was a member of the organization's founding board. He has also served as a local leader for the Kansas City VMUG, helping grow it into one of the world's largest VMUG local chapters.

As a champion of virtualization and cloud solutions, Clayton develops the cloud vision and road map as a Senior Technology Lifecycle Manager for DST Systems. "I first became aware of VMUG while implementing the VMware virtualization environment at a previous job. Now 8 years later, my involvement in VMUG has provided me the opportunity to serve this industry even further, and I could not be more honored," Clayton stated.

Clayton replaces past-president Mariano Maluf, who served as president of the board since its inception in 2010. "The last 6 years as VMUG President have been such an important part in my life, both personally and professionally," Maluf said. "VMUG has definitely evolved from a common interest in the virtualization space, to a global community of liked-minded professionals who understand the role these technologies play in our careers and lives. This continued interest and passion clearly shows in our members' unquenchable thirst for valuable information and support, and a deep desire to share and connect with others. Ben understands this well, and will be highly-focused on delivering this same experience for the entire VMUG community," stated Maluf.

New additions to the Board of Directors are Suzan Pickett, Director of Converged Infrastructure at U.S. Bank, Steve Athanas, Director of Platforms and Systems Engineering with UMass Lowell, and David Sandberg, Director of Infrastructure Engineering Innovation with Optum Technology/UnitedHealth Group. "The level of experience and knowledge that our new directors bring to the board is a great gain for our communities," stated Clayton. "We have a strong foundation in place for the organization and the members will be excited to see what's in store for VMUG in 2017."

The slate of board members is listed below:

• Ben Clayton- President
• Piergiorgio Spagnolatti- Vice President
• Brian Chylik- Secretary/Treasurer
• Dr. Heinz-Hermann Adam- Director
• Steve Athanas- Director
• Bonnie Bauder- Director
• Ann Johnson- Director
• Brian Hirsch- Director
• Mariano Maluf- Past-president, ex officio
• Suzan Pickett- Director
• David Sandberg- Director
• Brad Tompkins- Chief Executive Office, ex officio
• Ravi Venkatasubbaiah, Director
• Jean Williams- Director