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Google's Marissa Mayer asked to join Wal-Mart's board

Marissa Mayer, vice president of Local and Maps for Google, has been nominated to serve on Wal-Mart's board of directors.

Lance Whitney Contributing Writer
Lance Whitney is a freelance technology writer and trainer and a former IT professional. He's written for Time, CNET, PCMag, and several other publications. He's the author of two tech books--one on Windows and another on LinkedIn.
Lance Whitney
Google's Marissa Mayer.
Google's Marissa Mayer Stephen Shankland/CNET

Google Vice President Marissa Mayer may be adding Wal-Mart board director to her resume.

The vice president of Local and Maps for Google was nominated today by Wal-Mart for election at the retail giant's annual shareholder meeting on June 1 as a new board member.

Mayer, who has held her current job at Google since 2010, oversees product management and engineering for the company's various local and mobile products. Prior to that, she was the vice president for search products and user experience. She joined Google in 1999 as its first female engineer and has been credited with launching hundreds of products throughout her career.

Beyond her current role, Mayer is seen as a powerful and visible force both inside and outside Google.

In 2010 she became the youngest person to join Google's operating committee, where she has been able to influence the direction and strategy of the company. In the same year she and her husband hosted a $30,000-a-plate fund-raising dinner for President Obama.

In nominating Mayer to its board, Wal-Mart is clearly looking for a tech-savvy and influential player who can help the company's online business strategy.

"We are on the cusp of a massive transformation in the way people shop in our increasingly connected world," Wal-Mart Chairman Rob Walton said in a statement. "Marissa's insights and expertise in the technology and consumer areas are valuable assets to Wal-Mart as we move forward."