This has to be one of the most forward-thinking hires ever by a news organization. There are great tech people involved in journalism, but few are at a position of authority.

The news industry, sadly, has plenty of people with ideas but very few who have any idea how to implement them. They need someone who can understand and influence the logistics...I would not be surprised if a large part of why innovation is stifled by something as mundane as a poorly-implemented CMS.

I do see the potential for cmdrtaco to have minimal impact, through no fault of his own. Something as mundane as office politics (I'm assuming editor-at-large is a position outside of the chain of command) also stifles innovation.