Fathom Realty Taps Veteran Leader for New VP of Growth Role
- 15,000+ agents: Fathom Realty's current agent count, reflecting rapid expansion.
- 21 years at EXIT Realty: Stephanie Verderose's extensive experience in leadership roles.
- 18 years of collaboration: Lori Muller and Stephanie Verderose's long-standing professional partnership.
Experts would likely conclude that Fathom Realty's appointment of Stephanie Verderose as VP of Growth is a strategic move to enhance agent productivity and retention, leveraging both technology and human leadership to navigate industry challenges and drive long-term profitability.
Fathom Realty Taps Veteran Leader for New VP of Growth Role
CARY, N.C. β February 17, 2026 β Fathom Realty, the technology-driven subsidiary of Fathom Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: FTHM), today announced a significant strategic move with the appointment of 39-year industry veteran Stephanie Verderose to the newly created position of Vice President of Growth. The appointment signals a deliberate push to bolster agent productivity and retention amidst a rapidly transforming real estate landscape.
In her new role, Verderose will report directly to Fathom Realty President Lori Muller. Her mandate is to spearhead initiatives focused on agent production, attraction and retention, and the development of a stronger agent community. The creation of this position comes as Fathom, a company that has seen rapid expansion in its agent count to over 15,000, sharpens its focus on converting that scale into sustained profitability.
A Strategic Play in a Shifting Market
The timing of Verderose's appointment is critical. The real estate industry is navigating significant headwinds, including regulatory changes to commission structures, fluctuating interest rates, and persistent housing inventory challenges. For brokerages, the competitive environment for attracting and, more importantly, retaining productive agents has never been more intense. Fathom Holdings, while consistently reporting strong year-over-year revenue and agent growth, has also faced the challenge of achieving consistent profitabilityβa common hurdle for rapidly scaling, low-fee brokerage models.
By establishing a leadership role dedicated explicitly to growth through agent success, Fathom is addressing this challenge head-on. The strategy appears to be a pivot from pure recruitment to a more holistic approach focused on increasing the productivity of its existing agent base. This aligns with company initiatives like its 'Elevate' concierge program, designed to provide agents with enhanced support to boost their transaction volume, which in turn generates higher gross profit for the company.
The Veteran Handpicked for the Job
Stephanie Verderose brings a wealth of experience that seems tailor-made for the challenges at hand. Her career, which began in 1987, spans nearly every facet of the brokerage business, from being a top-producing agent to a successful broker-owner and franchisee. For 21 years, she was a standout leader within EXIT Realty Corp., where she earned accolades such as Broker of the Year and led her New Jersey office to be named Top Office and Franchise of the Year.
Beyond her operational leadership, Verderose has built a national reputation as a high-level trainer and coach. As a Senior Certified Coach with Workman Success Systems, she mentors brokers and teams across the country, implementing structured systems and accountability frameworks designed to foster scalable growth. This background in coaching and systems-building is central to her leadership philosophy.
"My leadership philosophy has always been centered on expanding teams and maximizing their productivity," Verderose stated. "Success is built through strong systems, intentional coaching, and a community that empowers agents. While launching Partner Real Estate, we recognized that Elevate and the Fathom Realty platform were already years ahead in technology and innovation. With great leadership and a model designed for opportunity and scalability, I'm excited to work alongside driven professionals to build something extraordinary together."
Blending Human Leadership with a Tech-Forward Platform
Fathom's identity is rooted in its proprietary technology, the intelliAgent platform, which integrates brokerage, mortgage, and title services. However, the hiring of Verderose underscores a recognition that technology alone is not enough. The move represents a dual strategy: leveraging a powerful tech stack while investing deeply in the human element of the business.
This blended approach aims to solve a key industry challenge. While technology can streamline transactions and provide data, it cannot replace the mentorship, culture, and community that drive agent loyalty and success. Verderose's mandate is to build that community and culture on top of Fathom's tech foundation.
Fathom Realty President Lori Muller, who has worked with Verderose for nearly two decades, emphasized that the role was designed with Verderose's specific skills in mind.
"I've had the privilege of working closely with Stephanie for over 18 years and can say with confidence that this role was created intentionally around what she does best - driving growth, strengthening agent retention, and building meaningful communities," Muller said. She added that Fathom is focused on elevating the agent and consumer experience through "technology-powered support that keeps the agent-consumer relationship at the heart of every transaction."
This appointment reinforces Fathom Realty's commitment to its service-first philosophy. By investing in a leader known for developing talent and building strong operational systems, the company is betting that empowering its agents is the most direct path to navigating market complexities and achieving its long-term financial goals.