CMLS CEO Jessica Edgerton urges industry to ‘get messy’ at 2026 Open House

Jessica Edgerton, CEO of the Council of Multiple Listing Services (CMLS), welcomed guests to the CMLS Open House 2026 conference by calling for an embrace of discomfort and moving quickly to break down silos that have long divided real estate. “We are in a time of incredible change and boy do we have a lineup for you over the next couple of days that reflects exactly the energy and the conversation that all of us need,” Edgerton told attendees. “We are in an amazing time in our industry.” Edgerton — who took the helm at CMLS earlier this year after 10 years as chief legal officer at Leading Real Estate Companies of the World — invoked management theorist Peter Drucker to make her case for vigorous debate. “One does not make a decision unless there is disagreement,” she said, quoting Drucker. “Why is that? Because disagreement is needed to stimulate the imagination. If we are not fighting a little bit, we’re not getting uncomfortable. We’re not going to get anywhere with the creativity and the inspiration that we need. “We need to be inspired to move, to create, to think and not to be afraid of making sure that everything is in lockstep.” New advocacy role takes shape During a sit-d...