Diane Greene has joined the board of directors of Google, (s goog) the Mountain View, Calif.-based company announced today. Greene was the CEO of VMware but was replaced by current CEO Paul Maritz a few years ago. Greene, who was the co-founder of VMWareVMware, is quite plugged in to the Silicon Valley ecosystem. She is super smart and is probably one of the better board appointments. Good move by Google.

From Google’s blog post:

An experienced entrepreneur, technological innovator, and corporate executive with more than three decades of experience, Greene will also serve on Google’s Audit Committee. Her appointment is effective January 12, 2012.

“Diane is a special person who combines a sharp business acumen with a brilliant technical mind,” said Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google. “We know she will be a great contributor and we are grateful to have her insight.”

“Google is an asset to society because of its relentless focus on improving users’ lives through pioneering technology, and it is also a standout growing business,” said Greene. “It is incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to support this as a board member.”

Greene, 56, has been a member of the board of directors of Intuit Inc. (s intu) since August 2006. Greene co-founded VMware, Inc. in 1998 and took the company public in 2007. She served as Chief Executive Officer and President of VMware from 1998 to 2008, as a member of the board of directors of VMware from 2007 to 2008, and as an Executive Vice President of EMC Corporation (s emc) from 2005 to 2008.