Sarah Rae has been named district executive director of the Mathews and Middlesex YMCAs, replacing Buzz Lambert, who is now vice president of operations for the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas.

A YMCA employee for the past 12 years, Rae started out as a group exercise instructor at the Middlesex Y. Since 2017, she has been working for both Middlesex and Mathews, first as membership director, then as senior membership and wellness director. Most recently, she has also been the associate wellness executive for the seven centers of the YMCA of the Virginia Peninsulas’ upper region.

Rae said her new role is a shift from wellness to an executive position, supporting all operations of both centers and their advisory boards and growing programming for the two centers. With a strong background in operational leadership and development of staff, she said she’ll be looking to expand offerings to meet the needs of the two communities served.

Among the new offerings will be a Parkinson’s program that will launch this summer as part of LiveSTRONG, the chronic disease program the Y launched two years ago. She said the Y is also moving forward with an expanded child care program for this fall and will work on expanding the youth soccer program and sailing camp.

The daughter of a Middlesex County farmer, Rae has been married for 33 years to Scott Rae, and they have four adult children and one grandchild. Claire Rae lives in Hayes and works for VIMS, Larkin Rae lives in Kilmarnock and works for Bartlett Tree Service, and Colleen Rae lives in Newport News and works for Sentara. Youngest child Tazewell Rae is a freshman at VMI.

Prior to working for the Y, Rae held a variety of paid and volunteer positions, including as manager of a horse show barn, member of her parish council, and chair of the Ware Academy Parents Association.