Jill Abramson to be first female executive editor at the New York Times.

Jill Abramson, the Washington bureau chief for the New York Times, will be replacing Bill Keller as the executive editor, making her the first woman ever in this position.

The New York Times writes,

Ms. Abramson will be the first woman to be editor in the paper’s 160-year history. “It’s meaningful to me,” she said of that distinction, adding, “You stand on the shoulders of those who came before you, and I couldn’t be prouder to be standing on Bill’s shoulders.”

Her selection is something of a departure for The Times, an institution that has historically chosen executive editors who have ascended the ranks through postings in overseas bureaus and managing desks like Foreign or Metropolitan.

Ms. Abramson came to The Times in 1997 from The Wall Street Journal, where she was  a deputy bureau chief and an investigative reporter for nine years. She rose quickly at The Times, becoming Washington editor in 1999 and then bureau chief in 2000.

“Without question, Jill is the best person to succeed Bill in the role of executive editor,” Mr. Sulzberger said. “An accomplished reporter and editor, Jill is the perfect choice to lead the next phase of The Times’s evolution into a multiplatform news organization deeply committed to journalistic excellence. She’s already proven her great instincts with her choice of Dean Baquet to serve as managing editor.”

What progress they have made in 160 years…uh. Snark aside, this is great news. Congratulations to Abramson and the staff of the New York Times.