Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who's long been on the New America board of directors, will succeed Jim Fallows as chairman later this year.

The full release is here, but for me the key passages are these:

"New America is a place where first-rate scholars are producing concrete, creative solutions for some of our nation's biggest challenges," said Dr. Schmidt. "I'm proud to be associated with the Foundation and look forward to helping shape its work and future." ...

One of New America's priorities during the next several years... is to evolve toward a "digital think tank" model that will use new technologies to improve the Foundation's reach...

So it should be an exciting 2008 around here. Though, as my colleague Steve Clemons observed this morning, there may be a reason we've yet to see Schmidt and New America CEO Steve Coll in the same room together...