The chairman of the National Geographic Society, a part of the family that has managed the Society for 122 years, is stepping down at the end of the year, the Washington Post reports.

With Gilbert M. Grosvenor retiring from his post as chairman, the top position at the Society will be held for the first time by a non-Grosvenor: National Geographic president John Fahey is taking Grosvenor’s slot. Timothy T. Kelly, currently president and chief executive officer of the society’s Global Media Group, will take over for Fahey.

“I’ve done my thing,” Grosvenor told the Post. “It’s time for other people to have their turn. I don’t think it’s proper for an institution like the Geographic Society, which is tied to adventure, science and exploration, to have a chairman approaching 80 years of age.”

As for Fahey, who launched the NG channel and a Web business, he’s apparently hoping to lead the Society into a new age: “Digital media represents tremendous opportunities for National Geographic on a worldwide basis and, in many ways, will allow us to get back to our original membership roots,” he told the Post.