The Green Grid Association has announced that the organization is expanding its focus and deliverables to address growing industry trends towards the sustainability and resource efficiency of information technology.

The organization also announced that executive director Larry Vertal has stepped down from his position with the non-profit. Larry was a driving force during the founding of The Green Grid and served as a member of organization’s Board of Directors before taking on the role of executive director in 2009.

Mark Monroe has been named The Green Grid’s new executive director. Mark, a founding director of The Green Grid, brings 30 years of experience in the IT industry, including direct experience in data center design and operations, application and system design, and process design and analysis. He is also on the board of directors for the Center for ReSource Conservation in Boulder, CO. Mark is a founding sponsor of the University of Colorado's Renewable And Sustainable Energy Institute (RASEI), and is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt.

“The expanded focus of The Green Grid provides leadership opportunities for organizations of all sizes to contribute to a growing body of work that impacts the energy- and resource-efficiency of IT,” said Mark Monroe, newly-appointed Executive Director of The Green Grid. “We welcome and encourage active participation and collaboration from interested members and affiliates across the global technology, sustainability, and government landscape.”

The Green Grid’s upcoming Technical Forum and Members Meeting on March 1-2, 2011, in Santa Clara, CA, will provide more detail on how the organization helps data center operators more efficiently use resources such as energy, carbon, and water. Registration for The Green Grid Technical Forum 2011 is now open to members and non-members of The Green Grid. Attendance is open to members of The Green Grid on March 1, and then opens to the public and the media on March 2.

“The Green Grid Board of Directors wishes to thank Larry Vertal for his five years of commitment, enthusiasm and guidance while helping to build The Green Grid into a well-respected organization that will continue to roll-out world-class metrics, best-practices, technologies and programs that promote the effective use of energy and other resources in data centers and business computing ecosystems,” said Roger Tipley, board member from HP and vice president of The Green Grid.