Literacy coaching is a very hot topic (Cassidy & Cassidy, 2007) that has been spurred on by two opposite belief systems. On one hand, the Reading First schools can receive federal funding to hire coaches to raise test scores. This has led some teachers to characterize coaches as "test-prep enforcers." On the other hand, Bean, Swan and Knaub (2003) found that literacy coaches in schools with exemplary reading programs and Title I schools that "beat the odds" serve as change agents to make a school wide impact on the literacy program by being a resource to teachers, modeling lessons, and conducting professional development. The International Reading Association's Standards for Reading Professionals-Revised 2003 (2004) support this vision by requiring reading specialists to be literacy coaches who assist classroom teachers. This paper embraces the IRA position and identifies steps we took at St. Thomas Aquinas College to prepare teachers enrolled in our graduate literacy program to become reading specialists and literacy coaches who enhance, enrich, and reform literacy education. I identify a variety of coaching initiatives we developed and present written reflections from the teachers to show how the experiences are empowering them to take a leadership role. These coaching initiatives can serve as a model for preparing reading specialists to be literacy coaches who are master teachers and educational leaders.