Continuing education is facing greater opportunities and challenges than at any other time in history. In this article, the author focuses on the unique and identifiable circumstances that are presenting distance educators with unprecedented opportunities to assume greater leadership roles in their parent institutions. These opportunities are largely driven by outside forces acting on institutions of higher education, and by the inherent advantages that distance (and continuing) educators have over others in academia. The author will describe these outside forces, list the advantages that distance educators possess, and then identify practical ways in which they can take advantage of this situation.