Sarah Rayne, Chief Executive Officer of the Howard County Association of REALTORS® (HCAR), is responsible for the strategic direction, vision, growth, and performance of the HCAR brand. At HCAR, she works directly with the Board of Directors and oversees all facets of the association.

Rayne was Interim CEO for HCAR from August 2022 to November 2022. Prior to then, she’d been Director of Operations for HCAR since April 2020, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the association, while managing association events and projects and serving as staff liaison to the Preferred Partner and RPAC Committees, as well as to the HCAR Cares Board of Directors.

Prior to joining the HCAR team, Rayne was Government & Public Affairs Director for the Coastal Association of REALTORS® on the Eastern Shore of Maryland for six years. She came to HCAR with extensive experience in association management, RPAC fundraising and education, community outreach, legislative advocacy, event planning, grant writing, and public relations, among others.

In 2022, Rayne earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential, which is the highest designation for the nonprofit association management profession. The CAE program is designed to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance, and designate those who demonstrate knowledge essential to the practice of association management. In 2019, she earned the REALTOR® association Certified Executive (RCE) designation, which is the only National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) designation designed specifically for REALTOR® association executives. She is a Diamond Level HCAR Agent of Change, and she holds the At Home With Diversity (AHWD) and ePro® certifications, and is C2EX endorsed.

In 2025, Rayne was inducted into the NAR Dr. Almon R. (Bud) Smith, RCE, AE Leadership Society as a leading contributor to the real estate industry and to her profession, recognizing her ongoing commitment to the advancement of REALTOR® association management and anticipated future contributions. She was one of three associations executives from across the country to be inducted in 2025.

Rayne currently serves as Chair of the Maryland REALTORS® Association Executives Committee, while also currently serving on the Maryland REALTORS® Strategic Planning Committee and the Maryland REALTORS® Issues Mobilization Committee. In the past, she has served on the state association's Community Involvement Committee and Awards Task Force.

Rayne served for five years, including one year as Chair, on the NAR Association Executives Committee RCE Advisory Board, which administers the RCE designation. She currently serves on the NAR Association Executives Committee and has previously sat on the Editorial Board for NAR's quarterly Association Executives Magazine, to which she is still a regular contributor. In the past she has served on several NAR workgroups, including the Reimagining Core Standards and Broker Involvement workgroups. 

Rayne is a strong advocate and supporter of building meaningful relationships with multicultural real estate organizations, and has previously served on the Board of Directors for the Real Estate Brokers of Baltimore, which is the local chapter of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, as well as on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors for the Central Maryland Chapter of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance.

She is currently enrolled in the Johns Hopkins Executive & Leadership Coaching Academy and is a candidate for International Coaching Federation Certification. 

Rayne earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications with a focus in Journalism and a minor in Music from Salisbury University in 2009, graduating Magna Cum Laude. She worked as a newspaper reporter for five years before joining the REALTOR® family.

Rayne was born and raised on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She loves reading, writing, her dog, and above all, her son.