CMLS names Jessica Edgerton as CEO

The Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS) has appointed Jessica Edgerton as its next chief executive officer, effective July 1, the MLS trade group announced on Thursday.

Edgerton joins CMLS from Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, where she has served as chief legal officer for the past nine years. She brings 16 years of leadership experience in organized real estate, including five years as legal counsel at the National Association of Realtors (NAR).

“I am deeply honored to lead CMLS at a moment when our work has never mattered more,” Edgerton said in the announcement. “Our industry created the MLS for a vital purpose: to give real estate professionals a shared foundation of trusted information and to give consumers the data they need to confidently make the most significant financial decisions of their lives.”

As CEO, Edgerton will lead CMLS’s work to advance the multiple listing service community, strengthen member value and promote an accessible, efficient and transparent housing market enabled by the MLS, the organization said in its announcement.

“Jessica brings the vision, credibility and collaborative leadership CMLS needs for this important moment,” said Nicole Jensen, 2026 chair of CMLS and CEO of realMLS. “She understands the essential role MLSs play in creating access to trusted real estate information, supporting informed decisions and helping the market work for consumers and professionals.”

Edgerton is filling a role previously held by Denee Evans. In May of 2025, CMLS announced Evans’ plans to step down from her role after 11 years at the organization, joining in 2014 as CMLS’s first full-time staff member.

At LeadingRE, Edgerton supported a global network of more than 500 brokerages across 70 countries, many of which operate in markets without an MLS system. CMLS said that experience gives her firsthand perspective on the market impact of complete, accurate and trusted listing data.

“Through my work with brokerages around the world, I have seen what real estate markets look like when professionals and consumers do not have access to the complete, trusted information an MLS provides,” Edgerton said. “It gives me an even deeper appreciation for the MLS as essential market infrastructure and for the leaders who make that system work every day.”

Edgerton will work with the CMLS board, staff, members and partners to advance the organization’s mission and “strengthen the role of MLSs across North America,” according to the announcement.

This article was written by Brooklee Han and generated with the assistance of HousingWire Automation, then reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.